Chemical analysis of archaeological copper and brass fron northeastern Ontario

Abstract

Since it is now possible, with some reliability, to separate native from European copper using chemical analysis, we now sort archaeological copper into geological (North American) or smelted (European) groups and thereby help address issues relating to the cultural impact of earliest aboriginal — European contact in northeastern Ontario. Twenty six metal samples from 11 archaeological sites, dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, were analyzed by INAA. The results were compared with reference data for native copper and European trade copper and indicate that of the 17 copper samples in the suite, an archaeologically-unexpected high number of 12 were made of native copper. The majority of these samples (7 of 8) derived from the post-contact early 17th century Providence Bay Odawa village. The remaining samples were made of brass (8) and zinc (1). Two of the brass samples, from Point Louise, have remarkably similar chemistries and probably came from the same object, or at least from the same batch of brass.