Caribou, climate change and the pre-contact Yup'ik : the isotope ecology and biogeography of a key subsistence species
Rangifer have the greatest circumpolar distribution of any living ungulate and have played an important role in the lives of many Arctic Indigenous communities for thousands of years. Given the prolific nature of Rangifer remains in many Arctic archaeological contexts, and their continued importance in many contemporary Arctic Indigenous societies, this species has the potential to be an important source of information about past Arctic human-animal-environment interactions. Given the noted influence of local and global climatic shifts on Rangifer ecology in the present, knowledge of the palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography of such a key prey-species, coupled with an indication of palaeoclimatic context, may provide valuable insights into animal-human interactions, human subsistence activities and landscape use in the past. The aims of this thesis are three-fold. The first is to explore Rangifer isotopic variability, and to indicate the utility of this species as a palaeoclimatic proxy, by isotopically analysing modern samples from across the circumpolar North. The second aim is to investigate the palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography of caribou from the pre-contact Little Ice Age (15thâ17th century AD) Yup'ik
Gigleux, Ciara Ann Mannion
Caribou hunting ; Excavations (Archaeology) ; Animal remains (Archaeology) ; Animal populations ; Yupik Eskimos
Caribou, climate change and the pre-contact Yup'ik : the isotope ecology and biogeography of a key subsistence species. Rangifer have the greatest circumpolar distribution of any living ungulate and have played an important role in the lives of many Arctic Indigenous communities for thousands of years. Given the prolific nature of Rangifer remains in many Arctic archaeological contexts, and their continued importance in many contemporary Arctic Indigenous societies, this species has the potential to be an important source of information about past Arctic human-animal-environment interactions. Given the noted influence of local and global climatic shifts on Rangifer ecology in the present, knowledge of the palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography of such a key prey-species, coupled with an indication of palaeoclimatic context, may provide valuable insights into animal-human interactions, human subsistence activities and landscape use in the past. The aims of this thesis are three-fold. The first is to explore Rangifer isotopic variability, and to indicate the utility of this species as a palaeoclimatic proxy, by isotopically analysing modern samples from across the circumpolar North. The second aim is to investigate the palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography of caribou from the pre-contact Little Ice Age (15thâ17th century AD) Yup'ik
climate_change pre contact isotope ecology biogeography key subsistence specie great distribution live ungulate play_important_role live many arctic indigenous community given prolific nature remain many arctic archaeological_context continue importance many_contemporary arctic indigenous society specie potential important source_information past arctic human_animal environment interaction given note influence_local global climatic shift ecology present knowledge palaeoecology key prey species couple indication palaeoclimatic context may provide_valuable insight animal_human interaction human subsistence activity landscape use past aim three_fold first_explore isotopic variability indicate utility specie palaeoclimatic proxy analyse modern_sample across north second_aim investigate palaeoecology pre contact little ice age century