Environmental Change and Terrestrial Resource Use by the<scp>T</scp>hule and<scp>I</scp>nuit of<scp>L</scp>abrador,<scp>C</scp>anada

Roy, Natasha; Bhiry, Najat; Woollett, James

doi:10.1002/gea.21391

Cited by 23 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…; Roy et al . , ). In our study, palaeoenvironmental records from archaeological sites (and their immediate vicinity) helped us to identify changes in the landscape and land use by identifying traces left by humans since the occupation of Svalbarðstunga.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Roy

Woollett

Bhiry

et al. 2017

Boreas

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A series of peat monoliths was collected from Hjálmarvík, Kúðá and Bægístaðir, three abandoned farm sites located on a transect extending from the coast to 18 km inland in the Svalbarðstunga region (northeastern Iceland) in order to document the impact of human occupation and patterns of land use on landscape change and vegetation. Svalbarðstunga is of considerable interest because of the geographical and ecological features that distinguish it from other regions of Iceland, in particular by the more direct influence of the cold East Greenland Current (EGC). Plant and insect macrofossils and diatoms identified in peat monoliths provided proxy indicators of human settlement and land use that in some cases corroborate, and in others expand upon, existing archaeological and historical dates. Based on the presence of ecofacts (calcined bones, fish bones and charcoal), synanthropic insects and some anthropogenic plant‐indicators (e.g. weeds), we showed that there was a consistent occupation and use of the coastal site of Hjálmarvík since AD 970. At Kúðá, the scenario is quite different. Two periods of occupation or land use were identified: from prior to c. AD 960 to 1190 and from c. AD 1650 to 1870. In the 15th and into the 16th centuries, the decrease in the deposition of traces of fuel wastes around the inland farm sites (Kúðá and Bægístaðir) suggests that they were used much less frequently. The decline of such proxies for human occupation occurred shortly before the occurrence of the coldest conditions from the 16th to the 17th centuries as well as prior to the V1477 eruption, suggesting that these natural factors may not have been the primary or unique driver of changing modes of tenancy. A scenario of famine‐related depopulation would have played a significant role in this decrease in the human impact on vegetation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Roy

Woollett

Bhiry

et al. 2017

Boreas

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“…This species is a type of Portulacae which, according to Blondeau and Roy (2004), grows in sites disturbed by humans. It has also been found on a former trading post site in Nunavut (Aiken et al, 2007) and on archaeological sites in Nunavik and Nunatsiavut (e.g., Lemieux et al, 2011;Roy et al, 2012). In this regard, the habitability of the land is determined by biophysical conditions that combined to create the relative stability of the available habitats, but which also evolved over time (Richard, 1985;Dumais and Rousseau, 2002;Hétu and Gray, 2002).…”

Section: The Physical Evolution Of the Sitementioning

confidence: 91%

“…This phase corresponds to the LIA, which was characterized by frequent variation in climate and a tendency toward cooling (e.g., D 'Arrigo et al, 2003;Payette and Delwaide, 2004). The conditions of the LIA and its impact have been described in several regions in the northern hemisphere (e.g., Grove, 1988;Grumet et al, 2001;Jennings et al, 2001;Payette and Delwaide, 2004;Lemieux et al, 2011;Roy et al, 2012). In the Salluit region, the climate became generally cold and dry between 670 cal.…”

Section: Site Occupation In the Context Of Environmental Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While a few studies have conducted regional investigations of this relationship between human occupation and environmental change in the High Arctic (Finkelstein et al, 2009;Dyke et al, 2011), a number of recent studies have indicated a positive correlation at the local and regional level in the Low Arctic of eastern Canada (Fitzhugh, 1972;Desrosiers et al, 2010;Lemieux et al, 2011;Roy et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction and Timeline of a Dorset-Thule Settlement at Quaqtaq (Nunavik, Canada)

Bhiry

Marguerie

Lofthouse

2016

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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International audienceA geoarchaeological and paleobotanical study of a Paleoeskimo and Neoeskimo site was undertaken in order to reconstruct site-formation processes. The study site JfEl-10 is located on Igloo Island, in Diana Bay, on the southern shore of Hudson Strait. It contains a peat-mineral deposit situated between two successive beach crests, close to a small marsh. Samples from the edge of the site, which consists of a remarkable section of stratigraphy 60 cm thick that contains alternating brown organic beds and light-colored sand beds, were examined in the laboratory. Macrofossil data and pollen data were used to reconstruct the local and regional vegetation and to determine climatic changes over the past 1200 years. The geoarchaeological study includes the stratigraphy and the sedimentology of archaeological sediments. The evolution of the site followed three successive environmental phases, and the site was home to two distinct cultures. The first phase (from ca. 1200 to ca. 950 cal. yr B.P.) was characterized by cold and mesic conditions and the Dorset occupation. In the second phase, conditions became more humid beginning ca. 950 cal. yr B.P. and lasted for approximately 450 years. This period is marked by the arrival of Thule Inuit, who hunted marine mammals in the vicinity. Zooarchaeological information indicated a fall/winter occupation during the Thule Inuit period. The third phase corresponds with the onset of the Little Ice Age (A.D. 1500–1850) and associated cooling. During this time, the Thule Inuit abandoned the site. If the increased cooling caused an earlier freeze-up of Diana Bay, this may have prevented the movement of walrus to their haul-out island during fall. Additionally, the faster accumulation of thick ice would have limited the hunting of seals through their breathing hole

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“…The current archaeobotanical research is part of a larger multidisciplinary palaeoeconomic project led by Dr. James Woollett (Université Laval) and focused on the 18th-century Labrador Inuit subsistence economy within the context of environmental (e.g., Little Ice Age cooling) and cultural changes (e.g., European/Moravian missionary settlement), both of which directly influenced Inuit society (Kaplan and Woollett 2000;Lemus-Lauzon et al this issue;Roy et. al.…”

Section: /C Zuttermentioning

confidence: 99%

The shrubs in the forest: The use of woody species by 18th-century Labrador Inuit

Zutter

2013

etudinuit

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Despite low productivity rates and sparse tree cover in the circumpolar region, the Inuit identify woody plants and their products as important parts of their diet that provide essential nutrients and medicine. However, evidence of historic and prehistoric Inuit plant use is less well known. This article presents archaeobotanical research from two 18th-century Inuit sites in Northern Labrador. At both sites, abundant botanical remains were recovered, suggesting woody plants were consumed as food, used as medicines, and modified for many valuable purposes. These results are consistent with Inuit ethnobotanical studies, suggesting that woody plants contribute important elements to the Inuit economy today and have done so in the recent past.Malgré un faible taux de productivité et une couverture végétale éparse dans la région circumpolaire, les Inuit considèrent les plantes forestières et leurs produits comme des parties importantes de leur alimentation, car elles leur fournissent des nutriments essentiels et des produits médicinaux. Cependant, on connaît moins la manière dont les Inuit des époques historiques et préhistoriques utilisaient les végétaux. Cet article présente une recherche archéobotanique portant sur deux sites inuit du XVIIIe siècle au nord du Labrador. Dans les deux sites, des restes végétaux ont été retrouvés en grande quantité, ce qui suggère que les plantes forestières étaient utilisées comme nourriture, pour usage médical, ou qu’elles étaient modifiées en vue de nombreux usages. Ces résultats corroborent les études ethnobotaniques chez les Inuit, indiquant que les plantes forestières apportent d’importants éléments à l’économie des Inuit et qu’elles le faisaient aussi dans le passé récent

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Environmental Change and Terrestrial Resource Use by theThule andInuit ofLabrador,Canada

Cited by 23 publications

References 42 publications

Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Perspective of landscape change following early settlement (landnám) in Svalbarðstunga, northeastern Iceland

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction and Timeline of a Dorset-Thule Settlement at Quaqtaq (Nunavik, Canada)

The shrubs in the forest: The use of woody species by 18th-century Labrador Inuit

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