Publisher's Synopsis
The role of caribou or reindeer (Rangifer) in human subsistence and economic behaviour is variably documented for the ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological record in the northern hemisphere. This volume addresses the need for a broader based understanding by archaeologists of human systems for exploiting Rangifer. The ethnographic stereotype of uniformly patterned ?big game hunters? has been applied to many cultural groups ? including Palaeo-Indians of eastern North America and Upper Palaeolithic groups in Europe. The archaeological record, however, can be interpreted to fit a variety of models of subsistence orientation. The prehistoric reality of idiosyncratic herd behaviour, boom and bust cycles of caribou populations, and misconceptions of hunting strategies from a limited archaeological record must all be addressed. The essays in this volume cover a broad spectrum, including a reassessment of the significance of Rangifer in the European Palaeolithic, historic reconstruction of Labrador Naskapi or Innu hunting patterns and their relevance to late-glacial models, several Great Lakes perspectives on settlement organization of eastern Palaeo-Indians and the probable role of caribou exploitation, a reassessment of the ?Age du Renne? from French Palaeolithic data, and a critical review of hunting ?mythologies? as applied by archaeologists to late-glacial human populations. The result is a broad view of the species Rangifer and an interaction (Homo sapiens) which has formed an integral part of human adaptive behaviour in the northern hemisphere. The contributors reflect a wide variety of Old and New World experiences and perspectives and provide an informative and entertaining series of essays.
