Abstract

A large quantity of well-preserved faunal material was excavated from a midden at the Mackenzie Delta site of Gupuk (NiTs-1), thought to have been the main village of the Siglit branch of the Mackenzie Inuit. The analysis of almost 38 000 non-cetacean bones and teeth recovered during the 1986 field season has revealed that Siglit subsistence was based on a wide variety of terrestrial, marine, riverine and lacustrine animals. Fish bones are very abundant, comprising over 67% of the of the assemblage; the most abundant fish are burbot, inconnu and whitefish. The diversity of fish sizes indicates use of a number of fishing techniques, with netting probably the most important. Caribou, moose, seal, waterfowl, ptarmigan and grouse, and several small game species, especially muskrat, also played important roles in subsistence.