Abstract

Dorset Palaeo-Eskimo warm season sites are poorly understood. This paper focuses on the investigation of a Dorset summer season site, known as Rattling Brook 1, located in the inner region of Notre Dame Bay, NL. Recent excavations of both a structure and the surrounding features of the site, situated at the mouth of Rattling Brook, will be used to examine the settlement and subsistence patterns of the Dorset Palaeo-Eskimo in eastern NL. Specifically, this paper will investigate their use of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) as a resource. The paper will also identify the purpose and timeframe of Dorset occupation at Rattling Brook and the reasons for considering this a warm season site. To date, Dorset research in Newfoundland has not been able to identify the full seasonal round of the Dorset. Therefore, the research undertaken at Rattling Brook is capable of expanding our understanding of not only the Dorset, but also seasonal movements.