Abstract

The Qugyuk site (ObRw-1) is a multi-component site located on the north shore of Harrowby Bay, Cape Bathurst Peninsula, N.W.T. The site has up to 60 cm of deposits, with evidence of prehistoric Inuit, Arctic Small Tool tradition, and Northwest Microblade tradition occupations. However, because of intensive cryoturbation, the earlier two occupations could only be separated on the basis of typology. Five radiocarbon dates on caribou bone suggest that the earlier two occupations dated to 2600-2050 BC and 3100-2600 BC respectively. The Northwest Microblade tradition component represents part of a larger, presumably seasonal occupation of the Arctic Coastal Plain by interior peoples, presumably to take advantage of caribou herds, muskox, and probably bison.