Regional variability in Mackenzie Inuit beluga whale use

Bibliographic Data

ID7809923
AuthorsT Max Friesen (0000-0002-8622-3883, University of Toronto, corresponding author), David Morrison (0000-0001-8380-3615, Musée de la Civilisation)
Year2002
Volume12
Issue1
Pages23-33
Publication date2002-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.610
OpenAlexW2014214308
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited12

Inuit of the Mackenzie Delta region, Northwest Territories, relied on a wide range of subsistence resources, however they are best known as the consummate hunters of beluga whales ( Delphinapterus leucas ). This species represented a focal resource for the two regional groups centred on the East Channel of the Mackenzie River, but was available much less frequently and reliably to adjacent groups, who relied to a greater degree on alternative resources such as caribou, fish, seals, and bowhead whales. In this paper, we compare archaeofaunas from sites located in the “core” beluga whaling zone of the Mackenzie River East Channel with other sites to the east and west for which direct access to beluga whales was either reduced or non‐existent. Bone frequencies are compared both in terms of proportional species representation in site archaeofaunas, and in terms of differential element representation. These comparisons are then interpreted within a framework emphasizing regional economic patterns, as well as local variability in patterns of beluga acquisition, storage, transport, and disposal. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Agriculture · Archaeology · Arctic · Beluga · Beluga Whale · Biology · Fishery · Geography · Leucas · Subsistence agriculture · Whale · Whaling · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Marine animal studies overview · Geology · Oceanography

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