THE MARITIME ADAPTATION OF ST. LAWRENCE IROQUOIANS

Conference Paper

Abstract

The St. Lawrence Iroquoians living in the Québec City area have been regarded as a very particular Iroquoian group. They were the only group within Iroquoia to have a direct access to the sea and its rich fauna. Several sites containing evidence of an Iroquoian presence in the St. Lawrence estuary will be reviewed as will be the site from Place Royale in downtown Québec City and the cluster of fishing camps in the Cap Tourmente lowland. The analysis of the related ecofactual data will provide us with some insight into the maritime adaptation of these northern horticulturists. The importance of the sea resources in their annual cycle will also be discussed.