Regional Analysis in Perspective: An Epistemological Assessment for Paleo-Inuit Archaeology

Summary

The increasing accessibility of archaeological data from the Canadian Arctic has promoted a recent influx of macro-scale analyses. Drawing insights from our ongoing research project in the Foxe Basin region, we address some challenges regarding the synthesis of archaeological information, especially as it pertains to Paleo-Inuit studies. We discuss the importance of data quality and address issues of variability in occupation density, duration, and seasonality, both at the household and community levels. We propose potential solutions to these challenges. First, a relational bottom-up approach that utilizes multiple social scales of analysis in a fluid and continuous way, moving from household identities to the region-wide synthesis of archaeological activity. Second, the integration of both remote sensing and traditional ground survey technologies provide higher resolutions of analysis for local scales. It is subsequently evident that macro-scale approaches to Paleo-Inuit archaeology require a re-evaluation of both household and community contexts and chronologies prior to regional analysis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22332