Pre-Dorset facts for kids

The Pre-Dorset was a group of ancient people, or a culture, that lived in the eastern Canadian Arctic. They lived there a very long time ago, from about 3200 to 850 BC. They came before another culture called the Dorset culture.

It's hard to define the Pre-Dorset because they lived in a huge area. Also, scientists have studied them for many years, and their ideas have changed. The name "Pre-Dorset" was first used by a scientist named Collins. He saw that people lived in the Arctic before the Dorset culture, but it was hard to describe exactly what made them unique. So, "Pre-Dorset" became a general name for all these early groups.

Other scientists, like Taylor and Maxwell, believed the Pre-Dorset were a distinct culture. They thought these people were the ancestors of the Dorset culture. They mostly lived in the lower parts of the Canadian Arctic, but sometimes traveled to the far north.

At a place called Port Refuge on Devon Island, a scientist named McGhee found two different settlements. He thought one was from the Independence I culture and the other from the Pre-Dorset. It's often hard to figure out exact dates for Arctic sites. This is because old bones from sea animals can seem older than they really are when tested. This is called the marine reservoir effect.

The Independence I settlement was found higher up from the sea. McGhee thought this meant it was about 300 years older than the Pre-Dorset one. This is because sea levels have dropped over time. So, older settlements are usually found higher above the water. However, many of the differences McGhee noted between the two settlements are not always clear. Some scientists now think that Pre-Dorset and Independence I might actually be parts of the same culture.

When Did the Pre-Dorset Live?

Scientists have divided the Pre-Dorset period into four main phases. These phases help us understand how the culture changed over time. It's usually hard to know which phase a Pre-Dorset site belongs to without using special dating methods.

• Early Pre-Dorset: Around 3350-2950 BC to 2200-1900 BC.
• Middle Pre-Dorset: Around 2200-1900 BC to 1650-1450 BC.
• Late Pre-Dorset: Around 1600-1450 BC to 900-850 BC.
• Terminal Pre-Dorset: Around 1000-850 BC to 750-400 BC. This phase is also called the Dorset Transitional Pre-Dorset. It shows a shift towards the later Dorset culture.

Where Did the Pre-Dorset Live?

The Pre-Dorset people lived in different parts of the Arctic.

Canadian Central Low Arctic

The main area where Pre-Dorset people lived was the Low Eastern Arctic. This includes places like Baffin Island and areas to its south.

Canadian High Arctic

Most Pre-Dorset settlements are found in the Low Arctic. But we also know they lived in the High Arctic. This is north of Baffin Island, on islands like Devon and Ellesmere. A very important site is the Port Refuge National Historic Site of Canada on Devon Island. This site has settlements from both the Pre-Dorset and Independence I cultures. At Port Refuge, Pre-Dorset homes were grouped together. They did not have a special central pathway inside. Independence I homes were lined up and had central pathways.

Greenland

It was rare for Pre-Dorset people to travel to the High Arctic. So, it was even rarer for them to go to Greenland. Scientists Grønnow and Jensen (2003) found one small site in Greenland that they believe is Pre-Dorset. This is the only one found so far. It's a home with a central pathway in Solbakken, Hall Land. This spot is right across the Nares Strait, which separates Canada from Greenland. Scientists identified it as Pre-Dorset based on how they sharpened their tools. There is also an Independence I culture settlement at the same site. Scientists think it is older because it is found higher up (21 meters compared to 19 meters). It is likely that more Pre-Dorset sites will be found in Greenland in the future.

Pre-Dorset Genetics

Scientists have studied the DNA of ancient Pre-Dorset people. A study in 2014 looked at the remains of a Pre-Dorset person from Rocky Point, Canada. This person lived between about 2140 BC and 1800 BC. Their DNA showed they were closely related to people from the Saqqaq culture and the Dorset culture. Scientists believe the ancestors of the Saqqaq, Pre-Dorset, and Dorset people likely moved from Siberia to North America in one big migration around 4000 BC.

See also

In Spanish: Pre-Dorset para niños