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Animal Uses at the Fur Trade Post Fort Carlton (FfNp-1)

Date

2024-09-13

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

ORCID

Type

Thesis

Degree Level

Masters

Abstract

This thesis presents the results of the zooarchaeological analysis of faunal remains and what was identified from the Hudson’s Bay Company journal records from Fort Carlton fur trade site (FfNp-1). This site is located in central Saskatchewan about 100 kilometers north of Saskatoon along the southern shore of the North Saskatchewan River. The goal of this research was to reconstruct dietary and subsistence practices of the fort’s inhabitants using a sample of over 10,000 animal remains and 172 journal entries. Faunal specimens were recovered from 20 units excavated in 2021-2022 by teams from the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society. Historical records represent 25 years of Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) journals. The results included 42 taxonomic categories identified from the faunal assemblage and 29 from the HBC journals. Combined, 47 different taxa were present in this sample which consisted of a number of mammals, birds, fish, and mollusks. Both datasets reflected that large artiodactyls were the most prominent animals at the post that were primarily used for meat, fat, and hides. Among them, bison was the main source of meat, and when they were unavailable, other artiodactyls such as moose or deer were hunted. Other mammals, such as wild carnivores, beaver, muskrat, and leporids were mostly used for traded pelts, but rabbit meat was also consumed. A few domesticated species were present at the fort. These are dogs, cattle, horse, and pigs, and all but pigs were serving as draft animals. Fish and birds, especially waterfowl, were a food source, and swan skins were also traded. According to HBC journal records, hare, waterfowl, and fish were often procured in periods of food shortage. Overall, the people of Fort Carlton used a variety of the locally available animal resources.

Description

Keywords

zooarchaeology, Fort Carlton, animal uses, fur trade

Citation

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Archaeology and Anthropology

Program

Archeology

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DOI

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