| Summary: | Modern driftwood and archaeological wood found on the west coast of Nunavik were studied in order to document its characteristics, methods of collection, uses and origins. In total, 1572 driftwood samples from beaches around Ivujivik, Akulivik, Inukjuak and Umiujaq were examined. Driftwood in the more northern areas was less frequent, smaller in size and more degraded. Eight taxa were identified under a microscope. Spruce was the most abundant, followed by willow, larch, poplar and alder. White cedar, white birch and balsam fir were extremely rare. The composition of the 293 wood samples, 550 charcoals and 11 wooden artifacts from 11 archaeological sites located within the four study areas was similar to the driftwood composition. Charcoals of red pine, Scots pine and chestnut were found at an archeological site in Ivujivik, but these were probably imported. In addition, many local ericaceous charcoals and an oak sample were found at archaeological sites around Umiujaq. The presence of white cedar and white birch in both modern and archaeological wood samples indicated that the wood originated from the south and southeast of James Bay. This conclusion is supported by comparative studies and cross-dating of the average growth rings. Interviews with 27 elders from the four villages revealed that: the wood vocabulary was more diversified in the southern villages; shrubs were cut in autumn and used for making mattresses or as fuel; the larger driftwood pieces were primarily used for the construction of boats, kayaks or sleds; in Ivujivik, driftwood was mainly collected in the summer by boat from around the islands whereas further south, the large wood pieces were collected or cut in winter and carried by dogsled. Finally, experiments to chemically differentiate immersed wood from dry wood in order to deduce the harvesting method of the large archaeological wood specimens, showed a stronger enrichment in sodium in the submerged woods. Principal component analyses (PCA), which are based on the relative concentrations ...
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