Technology, Taphonomy, and Seasonality: Understanding Differences between Dorset and Thule Subsistence Strategies at Iqaluktuuq, Victoria Island

Abstract

ABSTRACT. This paper examines differences between Late Dorset and Thule Inuit subsistence economies at the Bell site on Victoria Island, Nunavut. This location is relatively unusual in the Canadian Arctic because local subsistence was based largely on caribou and fish, rather than the sea mammals that dominate in most other regions. For both periods, animal bone samples are quantified in terms of taxonomic frequencies, element (body part) distributions, seasonality, prey demography, and bone modifications such as cutting, burning, and gnawing. A comparison between the periods indicates many broad similarities in subsistence, but some subtle differences suggest that the Thule had a more focal and specialized economy, with a slightly different seasonal profile.Key words: Dorset; Thule; hunting technologies; taphonomy; subsistence economies; seasonality; zooarchaeology RÉSUMÉ. Le présent article porte sur les différences entre l'économie de subsistance du Dorsétien récent et l'économie de subsistance des Inuits thuléens au site Bell de l'île Victoria, au Nunavut. Cet emplacement de l'Arctique canadien est assez inhabituel en ce sens que la subsistance de la région reposait grandement sur le caribou et le poisson, et non pas sur les mammifères marins qui dominent la plupart des autres régions. Pour ces deux périodes, les échantillons d'ossements d'animaux sont quantifiés en fonction des fréquences taxonomiques, de la répartition des éléments (restes), de leur saisonnalité, de la démographie des proies et des altérations subies par les os, comme les marques de coupure, de brûlure et de rongement. La comparaison des périodes permet de remarquer de nombreuses similitudes générales sur le plan de la subsistance, mais certaines différences subtiles suggèrent que les Thuléens avaient une économie plus concentrée et spécialisée de même qu'un profil saisonnier légèrement différent.

Radiocarbon Evidence for Fourteenth-Century Dorset Occupation in the Eastern North American Arctic

“…It is also possible, however, that a relatively large Late Dorset population at Iqaluktuuq presented a socially risky situation for Thule, which contributed to its late settlement—perhaps pointing to a rare instance where Thule avoided Dorset, rather than vice versa. This receives some support from the fact that the subsistence economies of Dorset and Thule appear to have been quite similar at the Bell site, based on extensive faunal analysis (Howse and Friesen 2016). Consequently, southeastern Victoria Island may have been a region in which Thule Inuit held a relatively minor competitive advantage over Dorset, despite Thule's more diverse and specialized subsistence and transportation technologies.…”

“…In order to address the issue of the timing of the end of Dorset, this article presents a new suite of AMS radiocarbon dates from the Iqaluktuuq region of southeastern Victoria Island (Figure 3). Iqaluktuuq is the name of a 3 km stretch of the Ekalluk River that drains Ferguson Lake into Wellington Bay on the Arctic Ocean near Cambridge Bay, Victoria Island, Nunavut (Friesen 2009; Howse and Friesen 2016; Taylor 1967). The region is home to dense aggregations of two critical summer-fall resources: Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus ), an anadromous fish species with a major upstream run in late August; and caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ), whose southward fall migration is constricted at this location leading to highly concentrated movements.…”

Paleogeography of Human Settlement at Iqaluktuuq, Victoria Island, Nunavut

“…Research on the area continues, though it is important to note that Inuinnait (modern Inuit of the region, sometimes referred to as "Copper Inuit" in the scholarly literature) always knew Iqaluktuuq was culturally important [2,3]. Renewed fieldwork as part of the Iqaluktuuq Project occurred from 1999 to 2010 and included further survey and mapping as well as excavations at ten sites [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] (Figure 2). Primary attributes of each significant site are summarised in Table 2, though it must be noted that information on these sites is somewhat uneven; some have been excavated and published intensively, while others have only been observed during a rapid survey or are known only through Taylor's [16] field notes.…”

Neo-Inuit strategies for ensuring food security during the Little Ice Age climate change episode, Foxe Basin, Arctic Canada

“…(NdPd-2), house (Taylor, 1972); Bell (NiNg-2), house and midden (Norman and Friesen, 2010;Howse and Friesen, 2016); Pembroke (NgNc-2), house and midden fauna (Norman and Friesen, 2010;Friesen and Norman, 2016); Hazard Inlet group, house and tent ring (Whitridge, 1992); Cape Garry (PcJq-5), house (Rick, 1980); Learmonth (PeJr-1), house and midden fauna (Taylor and McGhee, 1979;Rick, 1980); Porden Pt. group, house and stone features (Park, 1989); Bache Peninsula group, house (McCullough, 1989); Cape Grinnell, house (House 20 only) (Darwent and Foin, 2010); Walrus I., tent ring, stone shelter and cache (Gotfredsen, 2010;Grønnow et al, 2011); Clavering I. group, house and midden (Gotfredsen, 2010); Sermermiut, house and midden (Møberg, 1983); Nugarsuk, house and midden (Møhl, 1979); Outer Frobisher Bay group, house (Henshaw, 1995); Cumberland Sound, B-1 (LlDj-1) house and midden (Schledermann, 1975); Peale Pt.…”