ABSTRACT
This paper presents zooarchaeological analyses of several contact period Inuit winter settlement sites in Hamilton Inlet, Labrador. These sites span the history of Inuit settlement in the region (from about ad 1600 to 1900) and provide an ideal opportunity to examine the relationship of changing patterns of Inuit settlement organization to changing subsistence, social relations and environmental fluctuations. Two of the most conspicuous changes of the contact period came in the eighteenth century, when most winter settlements were relocated to sheltered coastal locations and communal winter houses were adopted. The role played by environmental factors in these changes are discussed in light of new palaeoenvironmental data and zooarchaeological focused on Hamilton Inlet. Environmental changes do seem to have influenced hunting practices. However, this analysis does not support the proposition that the adoption of communal houses was associated with a colder climate or with more severe ice conditions. Rather, it demonstrates a notable increase in importance of open water seal hunting in Hamilton Inlet during the eighteenth century, and links the communal house to increased need for organized hunting labour.
