Abstract

From 1989 to 1993 an oral history project was undertaken by the Inuvialuit Social Development Program. The main objective of the Herschel Island and Yukon North Slope Inuvialuit Oral History Project was to document Inuvialuit land use and knowledge of the Yukon North Slope. Inuvialuit oral history also provided important insights into archaeological issues. This paper questions archaeological assumptions regarding sod houses in the light of ethnographic information. In effect, the Inuvialuit elders explained that sod houses could be occupied year-round rather than solely in wintertime as often assumed by Arctic archaeologists. It is suggested that the use of sod houses in the summer depends on specific strategies of land use.