The Inuit in southern Labrador: a view from Snack Cove

Brewster, Natalie (2005) The Inuit in southern Labrador: a view from Snack Cove. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the nature of Inuit occupations in southern Labrador, and their contacts with Europeans during the 17th century, based upon excavations from Snack Cove 1 and Snack Cove 3. Due to a paucity of archaeological investigations of the Inuit in southern Labrador, there is little known about how the Inuit lived in this area, and the form of their interactions with Europeans during the early Contact Period. Data from Snack Cove has been analyzed and compiled with ethnohistoric data to address the objectives of this research, and to situate the occupations at Snack Cove within the long term culture history of the Inuit in Labrador. The results of this research have shown that the Inuit occupations in southern Labrador during the 17th century were much the same as those in northern Labrador, with the exception that they are a part of the southernmost frontier of Inuit expansion. Further, the results of this analysis show that the nature of Inuit contact with Europeans was such that a large quantity of European materials flowed into Inuit exchange networks, but that the flow of European ideas, information and beliefs was less frequent during the early Contact Period. Through this research, it has been possible to portray the central role of the Inuit, and their decision making in the unfolding of events during the Contact Period.

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