Inuit knowledge and use of wood resources on the west coast of Nunavik, Canada

Steelandt, Stéphanie; Bhiry, Najat; Marguerie, Dominique; Desbiens, Caroline; Napartuk, Minnie; Desrosiers, Pierre

doi:10.7202/1025259ar

Cited by 12 publications

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“…This differs from Alaska, for example, where driftwood is still used for steam baths [ Alix and Brewster , ]. Moreover, in Nunavik, local people may occasionally cut a few conifers during the summer in the forest tundra, but otherwise they use manufactured wood [ Steelandt et al ., ]. This explains the negligible amount of worked and logged driftwood samples in our study when compared to other manufactured driftwood pieces in the form of boards or boxes found on the west coast of Nunavik.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The seasonal arrival of driftwood on the coasts was not anticipated by Inuit people from the Nunavik villages, unlike the inhabitants from Alaska. This difference in expectation can be explained by the fact that Inuit rarely collect driftwood today on the beaches in Nunavik and so they do not pay close attention to its arrival [ Steelandt et al ., ]. It is also possible that driftwood arrives on the coasts in different seasons.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the choice of reference chronology is more difficult in the northeast of Canada where there are many more potential sources [ Eggertsson , , ]. By combining the direction of marine currents in Hudson Bay and James Bay [ Straneo and Saucier , ] (Figure ) with the hypothesis made by the elders of the villages in the study [ Steelandt et al ., ], it is reasonable to assume that the source of the driftwood in this study was somewhere to the south and southeast of Hudson Bay and James Bay. While Hudson Bay and James Bay receive considerable amounts of freshwater from many rivers [ Déry et al ., ] (Figure ), we could only conduct this analysis in relation to rivers where tree ring data on spruce and larch already exists.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A study of the composition, characteristics, and origin of modern driftwood on the western coast of Nunavik (Quebec, Canada)

et al. 2015

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Data concerning driftwood is of value to researchers in fields as diverse as oceanography, geomorphology, and human occupation. Yet studies on the subject in the Canadian Arctic have only recently been carried out, and the present study is the first in Nunavik (northeastern Canada). This paper documents the composition, characteristics, and origin of modern driftwood pieces on the beaches of the eastern coast of Hudson Bay. A total of 1057 samples from Ivujivik, Akulivik, Inukjuak, and Umiujaq were identified as belonging to four coniferous species (Picea sp., Larix sp., Abies sp. likely balsamea, and Thuja sp. likely occidentalis) and four deciduous species (Salix sp., Populus sp., Alnus sp., and Betula sp., likely papyrifera). Spruce largely predominate; white birch, white cedar, and fir are rare. The presence of the latter species proves that some of the wood originated from south-southeast of James Bay. Driftwood found in the southern area (Umiujaq) are more numerous, larger, and less degraded than driftwood in the north (Ivujivik). However, many large coniferous samples were found as far north as Akulivik, indicating that they likely traveled a great distance, unlike the smaller wood specimens (especially deciduous samples). All of the wood that we analyzed died relatively young, with an average age of 63 years for conifers and 23 years for deciduous. Measurements of ring widths and the cross-dating of samples with existing reference chronologies of living trees along Hudson Bay and James Bay revealed several possible correlations and origins for wood found in same areas.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A study of the composition, characteristics, and origin of modern driftwood on the western coast of Nunavik (Quebec, Canada)

et al. 2015

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“…The ethnographic record shows that amongst contemporary northern latitude huntergatherers, the use of different types of fuel can vary according to both task and sometimes on a seasonal basis (Henry et al 2018;Shaw 2008Shaw , 2012Steelandt et al 2013;Théry-Parisot 2002a, b). Research concerning selection for specific burning properties of different types of fuels, in relation to seasonality, amongst contemporary hunter-gatherer populations is sparse.…”

Section: Ethnoarchaeology and Fuel Selection Criteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Function of Palaeolithic Hearths: Experiments on Intensity of Luminosity and Radiative Heat Outputs from Different Fuel Sources

Hoare

2020

J Paleo Arch

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Assessing the function of Palaeolithic hearths is a key research issue that can benefit from the application of experimental archaeology when examining whether the behaviourally related purposes of fire, e.g. heat, light and cooking, could be correlated with combustion features in the archaeological record. Not all species of wood and types of fuel burn the same way. Variability exists in the amount of ash and smoke produced, along with differences in speed of burning and outgoing light and heat. This paper examined the light and heat properties of nine different types of fuels (eight individual species of wood and fresh bone) by assessing intensity of luminosity and radiative heat outputs using a lux metre and thermal imaging camera. Results show that there is considerable variation between bone and wood in terms of light and heat output and between the individual species of wood. In order to assess whether heat efficiency may vary seasonally, experiments were performed overnight and repeated at ambient air temperature ranges of 11 to 13 and 0 to 3°C. Results show that in the current data set fuels that emit lower to intermediate heat outputs could be more efficient at colder temperatures in terms of warmth. This represents a preliminary step forward towards attributing behaviourally relevant functions such as light and heat to Palaeolithic combustion features with regard to fuel selectivity.

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“…In particular, what is the origin of archaeological wood found at the IbGk-3 site (Qijurittuq) on Drayton Island, which is located in the treeless tundra about 20 km south of Inukjuak (northern Quebec, Canada) ( Fig. 1) (Avataq Cultural Institute, 2008Desrosiers et al, 2010;Lemieux et al, 2011;Steelandt et al, 2013). Spruce (Picea sp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Differentiation between Immersed and Dry Wood Samples in Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada): Preliminary Results

Steelandt

Pierson-Wickmann

Bhiry

et al. 2016

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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International audienceThe primary aim of this study was to differentiate immersed wood samples from dry wood samples based on chemical analysis. The method has been developed to be applied to wood found in archaeological sites to distinguish between driftwood and wood that was cut in the forest tundra and then transported to the sites. The results of our research show that Na concentrations in the immersed samples were much higher than in the dry samples for coniferous and deciduous wood samples. Principal components analysis (PCA) based on the element concentrations normalized to the total cation concentrations show that the data from the immersed wood samples and the dry wood samples clustered into two separate groups

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Inuit knowledge and use of wood resources on the west coast of Nunavik, Canada

Cited by 12 publications

References 12 publications

A study of the composition, characteristics, and origin of modern driftwood on the western coast of Nunavik (Quebec, Canada)

A study of the composition, characteristics, and origin of modern driftwood on the western coast of Nunavik (Quebec, Canada)

Assessing the Function of Palaeolithic Hearths: Experiments on Intensity of Luminosity and Radiative Heat Outputs from Different Fuel Sources

Chemical Differentiation between Immersed and Dry Wood Samples in Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada): Preliminary Results

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