Paleoecological Perspectives on Landscape History and Anthropogenic Impacts at Uivak Point, Labrador, Since AD 1400

Archaeological and paleoecological investigations were undertaken at Uivak Point (HjCl-09 located in Okak Bay, Labrador), a site that consists of a winter village comprising the ruins of nine sod houses and a number of tent ring, cache, and other structures. The site was occupied during the late 18th to early 19th centuries, although the immediate area has been used by many cultural groups spanning from Labrador's early prehistory into the 20th century. Pollen records helped us to retrace the evolution of the regional and extra-local vegetation, while macro-fossil analysis was used to evaluate local hydrological changes and human disturbance around the archaeological site. Larouche (1979) demonstrated that macroscopic vegetal remains (seeds, bark, needles, stems, etc.) are generally found within about 20 m of their place of origin. They are, accordingly, ideal for local-scale reconstructions of vegetation (Bhiry and Filion, 2001). Between ca. 3030 and ca. 710 cal. yr BP, cold and dry climate conditions corresponding to the late Neoglacial period generated the abundance of shrub tundra. From ca. 710 to ca. 550 cal. yr BP, conditions became warmer and wetter, triggering the expansion of trees. Since ca. 550 cal. yr BP, there has been an abundance of dry taxa which may reflect the colder conditions of the 'Little Ice Age'. Subsequent climate warming has allowed the re-expansion of trees and shrubs over the last 200 years. Moreover, our results indicate that the Thule/Inuit harvested many plant species that grew in the vicinity of Uivak Point for food, raw material, and fuel. For example, many anthropogenic remains (burnt fat, burnt moss leaves, and charcoal) were incorporated into the soil. These activities also triggered the establishment of some weeds and apophytes (Montia Fontana and Silene). Furthermore, our chronostratigraphical and paleoecological data suggest that the site was occupied on an irregular basis since approximately AD 1400. Pollen analysis and macrofossil analysis were used in order to reconstruct the environmental conditions surrounding the archaeological site and to obtain a better understanding of Inuit occupation and related activities.