Archaeological Survey in the Foulke Fjord Region, Inglefield Land, Northwestern Greenland

Geografisk Tidsskrift—Danish Journal of Geography 110(2):297–314, 2010 The Inglefield Land Archaeology Project undertook archaeological survey of three areas of Foulke Fjord in 2006, during which 639 archaeological features were recorded, exclusive of the large Reindeer Point Longhouse site (Darwent et al., 2008). Basedon comparisons with surveys completed in Eastern Inglefield Land (Darwent et al., 2007), the density of features in Foulke Fjord substantially exceeded those from other regions of Inglefield Land. The most parsimonious explanation for the higher occurrence of features in this region is the presence of little auk colonies on the scree slopes of the inner fjords. These birds, which roost in the millions, served as a reliable summer food source, but their feces likely provided enrichment for the local ecosystem, increasing the numbers of terrestrial and marine fauna in the region. Based on excavations at Iita (Etah) and densities of features in the fiord, Foulke Fjord appears to have been continually occupied throughout the Thule-historic period (A.D. 1250–1953), and during the previous Late Dorset period (ca. A.D. 800–1250). However, features associated with the early Paleoeskimo period (2500–500 B.C.) are located only at the outer margins of the fjord.