Contributions to the Study of the Dorset Palaeo-Eskimos

Kerry Abel is a professor of history at Carleton University. She is the author of Drum Songs: Glimpses of Dene History, co-editor of Aboriginal Resource Use in Canada: Historical and Legal Aspects, and co-editor of Northern Visions: New Perspectives on the North in Canadian History.

Eighty years ago, pioneer Canadian anthropologist Diamond Jenness
reported the discovery of remains in the Arctic that he proposed
belonged to a different and more ancient culture than what was then
known as the Eskimo. Dubbed the Dorset, these people have provided
fodder for several generations of debate over their origins, history,
and relationship to the modern Inuit. This collection of essays, part of
the venerable Mercury Series, represents the latest generation’s
contribution to the discussion. It incorporates the most current of
methods and technologies, such as DNA analysis and multi-disciplinary
work with local people, to address the now-standard questions. The
contributors are all professionals based at universities and museums:
one is a biologist and the remainder are archaeologists. Maps, charts,
graphs, and photographs complement the papers, while the editor provides
a useful summary of the research and literature to date.

The book is scholarly and specialized, and hence heavy going for the
uninitiated. Nevertheless, it represents a valuable contribution to
Arctic studies and is an interesting sampling of the tools and
techniques of 21st-century archaeology.