Content area
Abstract
This dissertation presents the results of three seasons of archaeological field work as well as archival research focusing on 500 years of culture change among the Neo-Eskimos of central and northern Labrador. The work combines the perspectives of economic anthropology and cultural ecology and reconstructs Labrador Neo-Eskimo culture history, and examines how Neo-Eskimos adapted to the dynamic natural and social environment of Labrador.
The main text describes factors in the geography and ecology of Labrador which have affected the Neo-Eskimos, reviews European contact history, and constructs the Neo-Eskimo culture history. Changes in social and economic organization are seen in light of changes in resource availability, demographic trends, and changes in the character of Eskimo-European contact.
Previous archaeological research focused on ecological and climatically related factors as causes of Neo-Eskimo culture change. The present study expresses dissatisfaction with these approaches and suggests that the means by which segments of Neo-Eskimo society gained control over and access to European utilitarian and prestige goods were the major causes of culture change.
