Thule Plant And Driftwood Use At Cape Espenberg, Alaska

Abstract

This thesis addresses the question of Thule plant and woody fuel use at Cape Espenberg, Alaska between approximately AD 1500 and 1700. The objective of this thesis is to determine how the Thule at Cape Espenberg were using various plant species, including edible plant species and fuelwood species. Few studies have been done on prehistoric Arctic plant use, and so this study intends to add to this nascent but growing field. By examining charcoal and macrofossil remains, this thesis is also intended to discover similarities and differences between the Thule and their modern Inupiat descendants in terms of plant and woody fuel use. Statistical tests and descriptive analyses indicate that plant foods contributed significant nutrition to the Thule diet at Cape Espenberg, that woody fuel was used heavily, and also actively conserved with the incorporation of alternative fuel sources such as bone and blubber. This exploratory study underscores the importance of plants in prehistoric Arctic economies, and the need for future research.