Alpine Ice Patches and Shúhtagot’ine Land Use in the Mackenzie and Selwyn Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Authors: Andrews, Thomas, D, Mackay, Glen, Andrew, Leon, Stephenson, Wendy, Barker, Amy, Alix, Claire
• Other Authors: Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC ), Archéologie des Amériques (ArchAm), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2012
• Subjects: collaboration; interdisciplinarity; ice patch; archaeological ethnography; science camps; Mountain Dene; traditional knowledge; traditional land use; Northwest Territories; Shúhtagot’ine; Déné des montagnes; savoir traditionnel; névés; interdisciplinarité; utilisation traditionnelle des terres; ethnographie archéologique; camps de sciences; Territoires du Nord-Ouest; [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory; Arctic; Arctic and Alpine Research; Tulita
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01843165; https://hal.science/hal-01843165/document; https://hal.science/hal-01843165/file/Andrews%20et%20al_2012_The%20NWT%20ice%20patch%20study%20and%20Sh%C3%BAhtagot%E2%80%99ine%20Traditional%20Land%20Use%20of%20the%20Mackenzie.pdf; https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4183

International audience The NWT Ice Patch Study was developed in partnership with the Shúhtagot’ine residents of Tulita, Northwest Territories, Canada. This paper explores how Shúhtagot’ine traditional knowledge, collected through the direct participation of Elders in our archaeological fieldwork, science camps with Elders and youth, Elder interviews, and traditional land-use mapping, is informing our interpretation of archaeological data collected at alpine ice patches in the Selwyn Mountains. While knowledge of bow-and-arrow and snare technologies persists in Shúhtagot’ine culture, Shúhtagot’ine oral history does not contain detailed knowledge of throwing dart technology. Using data collected in our traditional land-use mapping project, we consider the role of ice patches in the broader context of Shúhtagot’ine land use. We propose that resource harvesting on high alpine plateaus and adjacent ice patches in the summer was more important in late precontact times than it was after contact. Shúhtagot’ine land-use practices involve long-distance travel in all seasons. Safe travel in the alpine landscape requires detailed knowledge of environmental conditions, such as snow and ice conditions, and respectful engagement with the spiritual entities inhabiting the landscape L’étude des névés des Territoires du Nord-Ouest a été réalisée en collaboration avec les Shúhtagot’ine de Tulita, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada. Le présent article explore comment le savoir traditionnel des Shúhtagot’ine, recueilli lors de la participation directe des aînés à nos fouilles archéologiques, à des camps de sciences où aînés et plus jeunes participaient, à des entrevues avec les aînés et au relevé cartographique de l’utilisation traditionnelle des terres influence et éclaire notre interprétation des données archéologiques recueillies dans les névés alpins de la chaîne de Selwyn. Bien que le savoir relatif aux techniques de l’arc et de la flèche et de la chasse au collet est encore bien présent dans la culture des ...