Food Practices during the Late 18th Century in Northern Labrador

Author(s): Lindsay Swinarton

Year: 2014

Summary

This paper examines Inuit food practices during the late 18th century communal house phase in northern Labrador, a period in which the Inuit had increasingly permanent contact with Moravian missionaries and other Europeans. With the establishment of the first mission station in Nain in 1771, the Moravian presence impacted Inuit subsistence practices in a multitude of ways, by fostering an increased importance on cod fishing, an increased economic value for fox pelts, and a disruption to the autumn caribou hunt. Faunal collections from two communal houses are compared: Oakes Bay 1 (HeCg-8) was occupied during the period of intermittent or indirect European contact prior to the arrival of missionaries, and Uivak Point 1 (HjCl-9) was occupied extensively until the early 19th century, during a period of sustained contact with missionaries. The results allow a discussion of the influence that European contact had on historic Inuit subsistence strategies during this period.

Cite this Record

Food Practices during the Late 18th Century in Northern Labrador. Lindsay Swinarton. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. 2014 ( tDAR id: 437212)

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-66,07