Archaeology and oral history of Inuit land use on the Kazan River, Nunavut: A feature-based approach

Archaeology and oral history are used to interpret recent Inuit land use al ong the lower Kazan River. A record of caribou crossings, camps, and other places of cultural significance generated by Inuit elders from Baker Lake i s combined with the results of an archaeological survey to identify importa nt spring and fall sites. The survey, which employed differential Geographi c Positioning System (GPS) technology to record individual archaeological f eatures (e.g., tent rings, caches), has resulted in a Geographic Informatio n System (GIS) database for the Fall Caribou Crossing National Historic Sit e. Individual 'sites' are distinguished, within a more general 'non-site' d istribution of features in the study region, on the basis of two criteria: clustering of Features and the known history of use of these places by elde rs and previous generations of Harvaqtuurmiut Inuit. Analysis of the differ ent kinds of features indicates considerable site variation, but also some seasonal patterning: fall has a more distinctive signature than spring. In this study, individual features are used to address questions of regional l and use, site definition, and season of site occupation. This emphasis on t he feature reflects the special circumstances of this project, which includ e the need to record archaeological materials occurring on the ground surfa ce and spread over a large area and the availability of elders to interpret those materials.