Norton

North Americahunter-gatherers

Map
expand_more Description

The Norton tradition follows the Arctic Small Tool tradition and generally precedes the Thule tradition. The people of this tradition lived on the coast and coastal hinterland and some major river valleys and lakes of Alaska from the Alaska Peninsula on the south to Point Barrow on the north, with a scattered presence eastward to the Mackenzie River mouth in northwest Canada. The time frame for this tradition is 3000-1000 BP (1000 BC - 1000 AD). The Norton people were foragers subsisting primarily on seals, caribou and fish. Some settlements were permanent, particularly in northern areas located on lakes, but most inland sites had seasonal camps. The Norton tradition is noted for the earliest use of lip ornaments or labrets.

Identifier
Region
  • North America
Subregion
  • Arctic and Subarctic
Subsistence Type
  • hunter-gatherers
Samples
Countries
  • Canada
  • United States