The object of this study is to document how the Inuit on the northern coast of Labrador, Canada used terrestrial resources such as peat and wood during the Little Ice Age (LIA; A.D. 1500–1870). Paleoecological investigations consisting of pollen and macrofossil analyses were undertaken in conjunction with archaeological excavations at the Inuit winter settlement sites of Oakes Bay 1, located in the Nain region of north‐central Labrador. Our data indicate that the major changes in terrestrial ecosystems of this coastal region were triggered by climate change. From ca. 5700 to 3000 cal. yr B.P., climatic conditions were relatively warm and moist. At ca. 3000 cal. yr B.P. conditions became significantly drier and colder, which corresponds to broader climatic trends during the Neoglacial period. At ca. 1000 cal. yr B.P., the reappearance of hygrophilic species and the establishment of Larix laricina provide evidence of a return to more humid conditions that in turn triggered the onset of the paludification of sandy terraces in the Dog Island region. Peat accumulation persisted after ca. 580 cal. yr B.P. likely due to the elevation of the frost table during the LIA. Elevated frost tables contributed to water saturation of the surface during the spring, creating conditions that were conducive to the preservation of organic material. Natural resources such as trees and peat were therefore readily available and more abundant during the LIA and extensively used by the Inuit for house construction and heating in the Dog Island region.

Archaeological and paleoecological investigations were undertaken at Uivak Point (HjCl-09 located in Okak Bay, Labrador), a site that consists of a winter village comprising the ruins of nine sod houses and a number of tent ring, cache, and other structures. The site was occupied during the late 18th to early 19th centuries, although the immediate area has been used by many cultural groups spanning from Labrador’s early prehistory into the 20th century. Between ca. 3030 and ca. 710 cal. yr BP, cold and dry climate conditions corresponding to the late Neoglacial period generated the abundance of shrub tundra. From ca. 710 to ca. 550 cal. yr BP, conditions became warmer and wetter, triggering the expansion of trees. Since ca. 550 cal. yr BP, there has been an abundance of dry taxa which may reflect the colder conditions of the ‘Little Ice Age’. Subsequent climate warming has allowed the re-expansion of trees and shrubs over the last 200 years. Moreover, our results indicate that the Thule/Inuit harvested many plant species that grew in the vicinity of Uivak Point for food, raw material, and fuel. For example, many anthropogenic remains (burnt fat, burnt moss leaves, and charcoal) were incorporated into the soil. These activities also triggered the establishment of some weeds and apophytes ( Montia Fontana and Silene). Furthermore, our chronostratigraphical and paleoecological data suggest that the site was occupied on an irregular basis since approximately AD 1400.

No abstract