Changing Subsistence Practices at the Dorset Paleoeskimo Site of Phillip's Garden, Newfoundland

Abstract

Abstract. A comparison of identified faunal assemblages from the Dorset site of Phillip's Garden indicates that harp seal hunting was the main focus of activity throughout the site's occupation. Despite the highly specialized nature of site use, it appears that reliance on harp seal decreased over time while fish and birds became increasingly important. These changes may reflect longer seasonal occupations at the site in later centuries, and/or a decrease in the local availability of harp seal. The observed shift coincides with the onset of a local climatic warming trend, which might have affected harp seal movements in the area. Dorset subsistence and settlement patterns in Newfoundland are still poorly understood due to a lack of preserved faunal assemblages in the region. The temporal trend illustrated here indicates that we cannot assume that these patterns were static throughout the Dorset occupation of the island.

Archaeoentomological Perspectives on Dorset Occupations in Newfoundland: A Case Study from the Site of Phillip’s Garden (EeBi-1)

“…The analysis of faunal remains found in middens associated with the Late Phase at the site revealed greater quantities of small game animals, birds, and other land resources than were found in Middle Phase middens (Hodgetts et al, 2003). This change was interpreted by Hodgetts as an increased reliance on fallback resources when it became difficult to catch enough harp seals.…”

“…These same conditions could also explain the paucity of entomological remains. As Renouf (2003) demonstrated in her review of PaleoInuit architecture, the Dorset built their houses on beach sand, where they stacked stones and elevated their house structures. Following the Dorset occupation, there is an increase in the diversity and quantity of insects found in the samples.…”

“…The impressive number of animal remains (i.e., 26 836 bones/m 2 for Feature 2 midden), especially seal bones found in the middens and house features of the site, have for a long time shaped the narrative about the occupation at Phillip's Garden (Renouf, 1993(Renouf, , 2011cHodgetts et al, 2003;Hodgetts, 2005a, b). As has been observed on archaeological sites in the High Arctic and in Nunavik, it is possible to think that the Dorset occupation brought additional nutrients to Phillip's Garden through hunting activities and the creation of important middens.…”

“…the Late Dorset are found, only the Middle Dorset period (1990( -1180 is found in Newfoundland (Renouf, 2003). The Middle Dorset period is subdivided into the Early phase (1990( -1550, the Middle phase (1550 -1350 cal BP), and the Late phase (1350 -1180 cal BP).…”

“…The subdivision of the Middle Dorset (Early, Middle, and Late phases) was proposed by based on over 30 radiocarbon dates obtained from 15 dwellings at Phillip's Garden (Renouf, 2011c). At the site of Phillip's Garden, archaeologists have already demonstrated the intensity of occupation during the Middle phase, which is visible in the archaeological record through the number of houses, but also through the larger size of houses dated to this period (see Renouf, 2003;Erwin, 2011).…”