Qijurittuq (IbGk-3) is a small multicomponent archaeological site located on Drayton Island, part of the Hopewell Archipelago and near the modern Inukjuak (Nunavik) community on the eastern coast of Hudson Bay, in Quebec, Canada. Occupations documented at the site include Paleoeskimo (ca 4500-800 calendar years ago [cal BP]) and Thule tradition (1000-750 cal BP). The site is located atop a sandy marine terrace between 9 and 14 meters above sea level and near a small lake surrounded by peatland. Evidence at Qijurittuq is useful in understanding human adaptation to climate change.
Archaeology at Qijurittuq
Archaeological features associated with the Thule component at the site include 13 semi-subterranean pithouses constructed of driftwood and sod blocks, a cache pit, a tent ring and one shallow rectangular depression which has yet to be interpreted. The Paleoeskimo occupation was identified through the excavation of the Thule component: it was disturbed when the Thule residents extracted peat and sod blocks to build the houses.
Each of the houses was approximately five meters (16.4 feet) in diameter, with a tunnel entrance of about four meters (13.2 ft) in length. Based on limited excavations, the walls and roof of each house were built of peat, driftwood and rocks, possibly covered with animal hide. The entryway would have acted as a cold trap, to prevent warm air from escaping the house. An elevated platform in the rear of the home was covered with branches, and likely served as sleeping quarters. These are very similar to other Thule arctic living quarters.
The faunal assemblage of the Thule occupation included both walrus and seal bone, suggesting the Thule practiced marine mammal subsistence.
Climate Change at Qijurittuq
Radiocarbon dates on marine shell, peat, and architectural wood returned occupation dates for the Thule occupation between 280 and 900 cal BP, or between AD 968 and 1700. Tree ring data on the wood of the houses returned dates between 170 and 210 years ago; and based on that, the site is believed to have been occupied within the past 200 years. Geoarchaeological research in the area indicated that the Hudson Bay area experienced a warm, humid period beginning about the time of the beginning of the Thule occupation (ca 870 cal BP) and ending about 200 years later. Then, the colder, drier conditions of the "Little Ice Age" lasted until the late 19th century.
Researchers from Laval University conducted interviews with local Inuit people to better understand the history of the adaptations the residents used to cope with changing sub-arctic conditions of the Hudson Bay area. They reported that their ancestors used semi-subterranean housing (called qarmait) when the climate permitted; and relied on traditional snow houses (igloos) when colder climate conditions supported a nomadic lifestyles requiring less-permanent residences. Combined with archaeological and geological data, the interviews provided information vital to understanding the history of the region, particularly with respect to human responses to climate change in the sub-Arctic.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Thule Tradition, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Desrosiers PM, Lofthouse S, Bhiry N, Lemieux A-M, Monchot H., Gendron D, and Marguerie M. (2010). The Qijurittuq Site (IbGk-3), eastern Hudson Bay: An IPY interdisciplinary study. Geografisk Tidsskrift–Danish Journal of Geography 110:227–243.
Lemieux A-M, Bhiry N, and Desrosiers PM. 2011. The geoarchaeology and traditional knowledge of winter sod houses in eastern Hudson Bay, Canadian Low Arctic. Geoarchaeology 26(4):479-500.
Lemieux A-M. 2009. Changement environnementaux et culturels en milieu arctique. Site archéologique IbGk-3, Île Drayton, Inukjuak. Unpublished masters thesis, Laval University, Québec, Canada.
