Abstract

The importance of bowhead whales in Classic Thule diets has been a topic of ongoing debate. Some researchers have argued that bowheads were scavenged for meat and bone, the latter used primarily for construction of residential dwellings. Others have argued that bowheads were actively hunted in open sea umiaks and made a significant contribution to Thule diets, warranting the maintenance of winter villages at vantage points along bowhead migration routes. Recent research highlighting the correlation between household caches of whaling gear and metal tools, has furthered interest in Thule subsistence strategies. Here I report preliminary results of a stable and radio-isotope study designed to address this topic. Thule and proto-historic skeletal remains have been analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures; accelerator radiocarbon dating is underway. Initial results indicate a trophic level difference between Thule and proto-historic diets consistent with the notion that baleen whales made a significant contribution to Thule subsistence.