Abstract

Although the recent culture history of the Mackenzie Delta region is becoming relatively well known, the origins of Inuvialuit lifeways remain obscure. This paper will present the results of three field seasons at the Cache Point site, on the East Channel of the Mackenzie River. Cache Point is the best-preserved early Neoeskimo archaeological site in the region, and as such, it offers a unique glimpse of early Inuvialuit beluga hunters. While analyses of architecture, artifacts, and fauna are ongoing, a preliminary picture of precontact social and economic organization is emerging, and will be outlined here.