Moose Hunters of the Boreal Forest? A Re-examination of Subsistence Patterns in the Western Subarctic

Abstract

Many descriptions of lifestyles in the western subarctic region have been built on the premise that the hunting and use of moose was a central feature of those lifestyles. While this may be true, it is worthwhile to question the time depth that underlies this adaptation and the degree to which it may have applied to former societies inhabiting the boreal forest region. Any such effort must include an analysis of available faunal remains from archaeological sites in that region. A consideration of the faunal record suggests that the intensive utilization of moose is relatively new in the western boreal forest, or at least was not widely characteristic of the late Holocene period. Thus, it cannot be assumed that the archaeologically designated late prehistoric "Athapaskan tradition" was isomorphic with modern subsistence regimes. To the degree to which large game played a central role in Athapaskan lifestyles, it was caribou, rather than moose, that seems to have dominated in the northern ecotonal region. Fish and small game seem to have dominated in importance in the southern coastal forest region, with a mixed subsistence economy characteristic of the central region. Historical factors, primarily involving widespread fires, habitat disturbance and impacts on predators, seem to be most responsible for the increase in moose numbers during the past century. The role of fire is particularly critical and may have had great influence on the nature and stability of past subsistence regimes in the boreal forest region, including impacts on both large and small game.

Key words: moose, western Subarctic, boreal forest adaptations, faunal analysis, fire ecology, late Holocene period, optimal foraging theory, Athapaskan tradition