Interpreting Variability in Thule Inuit Architecture
A Case Study from the Canadian High Arctic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7601771 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter C Dawson (0000-0002-5090-6391, University of Winnipeg, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2001 |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 453-470 |
| Publication date | 2001-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Antiquity (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2694244 |
| OpenAlex | W1967650907 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 15 |
| References cited | 23 |
The semisubterranean whale-bone house is one of the most recognizable aspects of Thule Inuit culture. Following their arrival in the Canadian Arctic approximately 1,000 years ago, Thule peoples built these impressive and often enigmatic dwellings for occupation during the long winter months. Variability in the architectural properties of semisubterranean house forms has traditionally been used by archaeologists to infer cultural and historical relationships between regions, and establish seasonal and/or functional distinctions in usage. An analysis of 31 semisubterranean houses from two Thule winter village sites in the Canadian High Arctic using multivariate statistics and computer-aided drafting reveals a range of architectural variability that may represent attempts by Thule builders to accommodate 1) fluctuations in the availability of key building materials, 2) differences in household mobility, or 3) whaling-related social differentiation between households. These results have important implications for understanding the relationships among house form, environment, and culture in Thule Inuit society
Archaeology · Arctic · Biology · Geography · Physical geography · Range (aeronautics) · The arctic · Whale · Whaling · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Architecture · Ecology · Engineering · Geology · History · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Oceanography · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
From Alaska to Greenland
A Processual Investigation of a Thule Whale Bone House, Somerset Island, Arctic Canada
Architecture and Complex Hearth Features at the Amaknak Bridge Site, Eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska
A geochemical analysis of 18th-century Inuit communal house floors in northern Labrador
The Role of Magnetometry in Managing Arctic Archaeological Sites in the Face of Climate Change
Micromorphological Analyses of Inuit Communal Sod Houses in Northern Labrador, Canada
The symbolic dimensions of whale bone use in Thule winter dwellings
Using finite element methods to analyze ancient architecture
Complex Hunter–Gatherers in Evolution and History
Pastplay
Space syntax analysis of Central Inuit snow houses
Base Camp Architecture
The Qijurittuq site (IbGk-3), Eastern Hudson Bay
Arctic architectures
A Ketos in Early Athens
The North Alaskan Eskimo
Prehistoric hunter-gatherers
The Little Ice Age
Prehistory of the eastern Arctic
The Relationship between Mobility Strategies and Site Structure
A theory of architectural design
The Shelter Characteristics of Traditional-styled Inuit Snow Houses
A History of Sea Ice in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Based on Postglacial Remains of the Bowhead Whale ( Balaena Mysticetus )
The Role of Architectural Utility in the Formation of Zooarchaeological Whale Bone Assemblages
Bowhead whale bones and Thule Eskimo subsistence–settlement patterns in the central Canadian Arctic
Alaska Native Culture and History
Thule Winter Site Demography in the High Arctic
Factor Analysis, Random Data, and Patterned Results
| Unique citing works | 15 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,63 |
| Citation span | 2002 - 2017 (16) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |