A large quantity of well-preserved faunal material was excavated from a midden at the Mackenzie Delta site of Gupuk (NiTs-1), thought to have been the main village of the Siglit branch of the Mackenzie Inuit. The analysis of almost 38 000 non-cetacean bones and teeth recovered during the 1986 field season has revealed that Siglit subsistence was based on a wide variety of terrestrial, marine, riverine and lacustrine animals. Fish bones are very abundant, comprising over 67% of the of the assemblage; the most abundant fish are burbot, inconnu and whitefish. The diversity of fish sizes indicates use of a number of fishing techniques, with netting probably the most important. Caribou, moose, seal, waterfowl, ptarmigan and grouse, and several small game species, especially muskrat, also played important roles in subsistence.
The Canadian Journal of Archaeology is published by the Canadian Archaeological Association.
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ISSN: 0705-2006 (print)
ISSN: 2816-2293 (online)