Animals and the precontact Inuit of Labrador: an examination using faunal remains, space and myth

Swinarton, Lindsay E. (Lindsay Ellen) (2008) Animals and the precontact Inuit of Labrador: an examination using faunal remains, space and myth. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the faunal remains recovered from two sites in Nachvak Fiord, Labrador and attempts to interpret them through an examination of spatial patterning and ethnographically recorded data on historic Inuit animal use. The faunal remains used were recovered from house and midden contexts at a late precontact Inuit site (Nachvak Village, IgCx-3) and an early historic Inuit site (Kongu, IgCv-7). The spatial distribution of these remains is examined using seven different classification schemes that seek to reveal differences in disposal and discard practices. These data are integrated with information recorded in regional ethnographies that describe physical interactions between historic Inuit and locally available animals, and also ideological interactions in the form of animal myths. Through the connections among faunal remains, spatial analyses and mythology, a potential precontact Inuit classification scheme is outlined that may better approximate the relationships perceived among animals within the Inuit worldview.

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