Abstract
The Dorset Paleo-Inuit occupied the island of Newfoundland for over 800 years (1990 BP to 1180 BP), producing a unique and identifiable archaeological record. Despite this, our current understanding of this sea-mammal hunting population is essentially based on past analysis of architecture, artefacts, and animal remains. While these data show that the Dorset intensively used sites at different locations through the Arctic and Subarctic, very little information is known regarding their impact on their surroundings and the environment. Our research is based on soil samples collected at the site of Phillip’s Garden, which is considered to be one of the most intensely occupied sites within the Dorset culture’s geographic range. Beetles, which are known to be ecological specialists, were used as a proxy in this research in order to document the composition and fluctuation in vegetation, and environmental change through time at the site. The analysis demonstrates that the Dorset communities of Phillip’s Garden harvested trees, and modified the environment and the flora surrounding their settlement more intensively than previously thought.
Highlights
The Dorset Paleo-Inuit established themselves in a wide variety of environments
The occupation of Phillip’s Garden did not allow the development of a synanthropic fauna; like other sites located in the Arctic, it did provide ecological niches differing from the natural environment (Forbes et al, 2014, 2015)
Insects were found in every sample analyzed except in a sterile sand level that predated the Dorset occupation
Summary
The Dorset Paleo-Inuit established themselves in a wide variety of environments. They migrated from the Eastern Canadian Arctic to as far south as the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon off the southeast coast of Newfoundland (Raghavan et al, 2014). Close to the southernmost extent of their range, the island of Newfoundland, with its different terrestrial biomes and the boreal forest that covers most of its surface, is contrastingly different to the High Arctic for which the Dorset culture and technology were initially adapted. In collaboration and under the supervision of Dr Renouf, these researchers studied the Dorset artefacts and structures uncovered at the site in order to better our understanding of the Dorset culture, their way of life, and the reasons for their disappearance from Newfoundland.
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