Investigating the Utility of Birds in Precontact Yup’ik Subsistence: A Preliminary Analysis of the Avian Remains from Nunalleq

• Published in: Études Inuit Studies
• Main Authors: Masson-Maclean, Edouard, Houmard, Claire, Knecht, Rick, Moss, Madonna
• Other Authors: Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249) (LCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: [SHS]Humanities and Social Sciences; Yukon; Kuskokwim; Yupiit; Alaska
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04308595; https://doi.org/10.7202/1071944ar

Birds have been an integral part of traditional Yup’ik lifeways in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, southwest Alaska, both economically and symbolically. From a subsistence point of view, the rich ethnographic record for the region highlights the importance of this resource as a critical seasonal food and a source of raw materials for clothing and tools. Little is known of bird exploitation in precontact Yup’ik society, however, as a result of limited archaeological research in the region, which thus constrains our ability to understand subsistence strategies prior to Euro-American contact. Recent excavations at the Nunalleq site (sixteenth to seventeenth century AD) have yielded a well-preserved avian assemblage that provides the opportunity to explore the use of birds during the late prehistoric period in the region. In this paper, we present the results of our preliminary zooarchaeological and technological analyses of this material. These new data demonstrate that a relatively wide range of taxa were harvested by precontact Yupiit, reflecting their multiple uses of birds. People not only exploited birds for their meat but also targeted specific taxa for the qualities of their skins for making parkas, their feathers as adornments or for fletching arrows, and their bones for making needles and other tools. Though this study shows a certain degree of continuity between precontact and historic Yup’ik subsistence practices, it also highlights a gradual decline in the non-dietary use of birds and the gradual increase in the intake of birds primarily targeted as sources of food in more recent times. Les oiseaux ont été une partie intégrante des modes de vie traditionnels yup’ik dans le Delta du Yukon-Kuskokwim et le sud-ouest de l’Alaska, autant économiquement que symboliquement. Du point de vue de la subsistance, les riches données ethnographiques pour la région montrent l’importance de cette ressource comme un aliment critique saisonnier et une source de matériaux bruts pour la fabrication de vêtements et d’outils. ...