Analogues at Iqaluktuuq: The social context of archaeological inference in Nunavut, Arctic Canada

Abstract

This paper presents a case study from the Canadian Arctic, in which the community context of an archaeological project has led to a re-thinking of a fundamental aspect of archaeological interpretation. Archaeologists are constantly confronted with the problem of identifying appropriate analogues for the societies whose material remains they study. In the Arctic, a particularly rich ethnographic record exists relating to recent Inuit lifeways; however, it remains difficult to determine when, if ever, it should be used to interpret the Palaeo-Eskimo archaeological record which pre-dates 1,000 BP. This issue will be explored within the context of the Iqaluktuuq Project, a new program of field research which aims to combine the traditional knowledge of modern Inuit elders with the Palaeo- and Neo-Eskimo archaeological records in the Ekalluk River region of southeastern Victoria Island, Nunavut. Ultimately, the social engagement of archaeologists with elders has led to a reconsideration of the process of analogical inference, resulting in a more robust use of recent Inuit lifeways as models for Palaeo-Eskimos than would have occured based on purely 'academic' considerations.