Faunal Remains as Markers of Ethnicity:

A Case Study from the St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada

By: Christian Gates St-Pierre




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Noncommercial license. Attribution: Christian Gates St. Pierre




Faunal Remains as Markers of Ethnicity:
A Case Study from the St. Lawrence Estuary,
Quebec, Canada
Christian Gates St-Pierre
Universit de Montral
The St. Lawrence
Estuary
Main species of marine mammals exploited in the
St. Lawrence Esturary during the
Late Woodland Period (AD 1000-1500)
WHITE WHALE/BELUGA
(Delphinapterus leucas)
Mean weight: 1100 kg
HARBOUR SEAL
(Phoca vitulina)
Mean weight: 65 kg
HARP SEAL
(Phoca groenlandica)
Mean weight: 135 kg
Archaeologist William J. Wintemberg
looking at St. Lawrence Iroquoian pottery in 1932
Historical distribution
(approximate) of the
St. Lawrence
Iroquoians, the
Montagnais
and the Maliseet
STUDY AREA
Montagnais/
Innus
St. Lawrence
Iroquoians
Maliseet
Location of the archaeological sites investigated
Excavations at the
Pointe--Crapaud
and Falaise sites
Iroquoian ceramics of the middle phase of the
Late Woodland period (1200-1350 AD)
Iroquoian ceramics of the late phase of the
Late Woodland period (1350-1550 AD)
Grinding tools
Arrow head in
green chert from the
Quebec City area
Ceramic pipes
Bone preservation
Bones buried in dry sand Bones in small shell middens
Bone identification:
some reliable cranial elements
for the identification of seal species
Results: Sea mammals vs. terrestrial mammals
Algonquian 8 9.7 21.0 56.8
12.5
3 454 Ste-Marguerite II
Algonquian 20 4.3 34.2 48.4
13.0
12 906 Ste-Marguerite I
Algonquian 13 1.6 1.0 40.1
57.4
8 579 Falaise Ouest
Iroquoian 17 0.1 3.1 7.1
89.7
4 980 Escoumins
Iroquoian 16 0.1 7.1 2.2
90.6
19 153 Pointe--Crapaud
Iroquoian 4 0.1 0.3 5.1
94.5
4 663 Ouellet
Iroquoian 6 0.0 2.2 3.6
94.2
11 746 Cap-de-Bon-Dsir III
Iroquoian 8 0.0 0.7 2.2
97.1
10 718 Cap-de-Bon-Dsir II
Iroquoian 5 0.0 0.2 0.4
99.4
15 451 Cap-de-Bon-Dsir I
Ethno-cultural
identity
Number
of species
% Fishes % Birds % Land
mammals
% Marine
mammals
Sample
size Site
NISP
Results: Harp seal vs. Harbour seal
Algonquian 100.0 0.0 Ste-Marguerite II
Algonquian 100.0 0.0 Ste-Marguerite I
Algonquian 100.0 0.0 Falaise Ouest
Iroquoian 0.0 100.0 Escoumins
Iroquoian 1.6 98.4 Pointe--Crapaud
Iroquoian 0.0 100.0 Ouellet
Iroquoian 9.1 90.9 Cap-de-Bon-Dsir III
Iroquoian 5.9 94.1 Cap-de-Bon-Dsir II
Iroquoian 0.0 100.0 Cap-de-Bon-Dsir I
Ethno-cultural identity % Harbour seal % Harp seal Site
NISP
Results: Seasonality and Mobility
Periods of the year when seals are present in the St. Lawrence Estuary
Harbour seal
Harp seal
Dec. Nov. Oct. Sept. Aug. July June May April March Feb. Jan.
Settlement patterns
Interior Coasts of the estuary
Algonquians
(Montagnais/Innus):
Coasts of the eastuary Quebec City Area St. Lawrence Iroquoians:
Winter/Spring Summer/Fall