Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic
Many descriptions of lifestyles in the western subarctic region have been built on the premise that the hunting and use of moose was a central feature of those lifestyles. While this may be true, it is worthwhile to question the time depth that underlies this adaptation and the degree to which it ma...
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The Arctic Institute of North America
1989
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ftunivcalgaryojs:oai:journalhosting.ucalgary.ca:article/64700 2023-05-15T14:19:13+02:00 Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic Yesner, David R. 1989-01-01 application/pdf https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64700 eng eng The Arctic Institute of North America https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64700/48614 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64700 ARCTIC; Vol. 42 No. 2 (1989): June: 85–187; 97-108 1923-1245 0004-0843 Animal distribution Animal population Athapascan Indians Bones Caribou Fire ecology Fishing Human ecology Hunting Indian archaeology Moose Palaeoecology Recent epoch Social change Subsistence Taiga ecology Alaska Yukon info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion research-article 1989 ftunivcalgaryojs 2022-03-22T21:21:53Z Many descriptions of lifestyles in the western subarctic region have been built on the premise that the hunting and use of moose was a central feature of those lifestyles. While this may be true, it is worthwhile to question the time depth that underlies this adaptation and the degree to which it may have applied to former societies inhabiting the boreal forest region. Any such effort must include an analysis of available faunal remains from archaeological sites in that region. A consideration of the faunal record suggests that the intensive utilization of moose is relatively new in the western boreal forest, or at least was not widely characteristic of the late Holocene period. Thus, it cannot be assumed that the archaeologically designated late prehistoric "Athapaskan tradition" was isomorphic with modern subsistence regimes. To the degree to which large game played a central role in Athapaskan lifestyles, it was caribou, rather than moose, that seems to have dominated in the northern ecotonal region. Fish and small game seem to have dominated in importance in the southern coastal forest region, with a mixed subsistence economy characteristic of the central region. Historical factors, primarily involving widespread fires, habitat disturbance and impacts on predators, seem to be most responsible for the increase in moose numbers during the past century. The role of fire is particularly critical and may have had great influence on the nature and stability of past subsistence regimes in the boreal forest region, including impacts on both large and small game.Key words: moose, western Subarctic, boreal forest adaptations, faunal analysis, fire ecology, late Holocene period, optimal foraging theory, Athapaskan tradition Mots clés: orignal, Subarctique occidental, adaptations de la forêt boréale, analysdee la faune, écologie des feux, holocène supérieur, théorie du fourrage maximal, tradition athapaskienne Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic caribou Subarctic subarctique* taiga Alaska Yukon University of Calgary Journal Hosting Indian Yukon ARCTIC 42 2 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Calgary Journal Hosting |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcalgaryojs |
language |
English |
topic |
Animal distribution Animal population Athapascan Indians Bones Caribou Fire ecology Fishing Human ecology Hunting Indian archaeology Moose Palaeoecology Recent epoch Social change Subsistence Taiga ecology Alaska Yukon |
spellingShingle |
Animal distribution Animal population Athapascan Indians Bones Caribou Fire ecology Fishing Human ecology Hunting Indian archaeology Moose Palaeoecology Recent epoch Social change Subsistence Taiga ecology Alaska Yukon Yesner, David R. Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic |
topic_facet |
Animal distribution Animal population Athapascan Indians Bones Caribou Fire ecology Fishing Human ecology Hunting Indian archaeology Moose Palaeoecology Recent epoch Social change Subsistence Taiga ecology Alaska Yukon |
description |
Many descriptions of lifestyles in the western subarctic region have been built on the premise that the hunting and use of moose was a central feature of those lifestyles. While this may be true, it is worthwhile to question the time depth that underlies this adaptation and the degree to which it may have applied to former societies inhabiting the boreal forest region. Any such effort must include an analysis of available faunal remains from archaeological sites in that region. A consideration of the faunal record suggests that the intensive utilization of moose is relatively new in the western boreal forest, or at least was not widely characteristic of the late Holocene period. Thus, it cannot be assumed that the archaeologically designated late prehistoric "Athapaskan tradition" was isomorphic with modern subsistence regimes. To the degree to which large game played a central role in Athapaskan lifestyles, it was caribou, rather than moose, that seems to have dominated in the northern ecotonal region. Fish and small game seem to have dominated in importance in the southern coastal forest region, with a mixed subsistence economy characteristic of the central region. Historical factors, primarily involving widespread fires, habitat disturbance and impacts on predators, seem to be most responsible for the increase in moose numbers during the past century. The role of fire is particularly critical and may have had great influence on the nature and stability of past subsistence regimes in the boreal forest region, including impacts on both large and small game.Key words: moose, western Subarctic, boreal forest adaptations, faunal analysis, fire ecology, late Holocene period, optimal foraging theory, Athapaskan tradition Mots clés: orignal, Subarctique occidental, adaptations de la forêt boréale, analysdee la faune, écologie des feux, holocène supérieur, théorie du fourrage maximal, tradition athapaskienne |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Yesner, David R. |
author_facet |
Yesner, David R. |
author_sort |
Yesner, David R. |
title |
Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic |
title_short |
Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic |
title_full |
Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic |
title_fullStr |
Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic |
title_sort |
moose hunters of the boreal forest? a re-examination of subsistence patterns in the western subarctic |
publisher |
The Arctic Institute of North America |
publishDate |
1989 |
url |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64700 |
geographic |
Indian Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Indian Yukon |
genre |
Arctic caribou Subarctic subarctique* taiga Alaska Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic caribou Subarctic subarctique* taiga Alaska Yukon |
op_source |
ARCTIC; Vol. 42 No. 2 (1989): June: 85–187; 97-108 1923-1245 0004-0843 |
op_relation |
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64700/48614 https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64700 |
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ARCTIC |
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42 |
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2 |
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