Figure 1.

Map with locations of sites mentioned in the text.

During a three-year archaeological survey of the coast of Inglefield Land, Northwest Greenland (Darwent et al. 2007), the Inglefield Land Archaeology Project (ILAP) discovered an atypically large Late Dorset longhouse at Reindeer Point, on the northwestern end of Foulke Fjord (Figure 1). Longhouses are enigmatic features found across the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, dating to the Late Dorset Period (c. AD 500-1200). They are oblong stone alignments up to 45m long (Reference SchledermannSchledermann 1990) (though usually less than 20m) that are no more than 10m wide, generally interpreted as seasonal aggregation sites or communal structures used during the spring and summer (Reference DamkjarDamkjar 2000). Rarely are they associated with other habitation features but frequently have linear rows of external hearths nearby (Reference DamkjarDamkjar 2000; Reference FriesenFriesen 2007). The Reindeer Point longhouse is only the fourth known from Greenland (Appelt & Gulløv 1999) and, at 42m long, is the largest yet identified for the island.

Figure 2.

The Reindeer Point longhouse and hearth row complex.

Figure 3.

A view of the longhouse from above.

Figure 4.

The various length configurations of the Reindeer Point longhouse.

Situated c.12m above sea level, the longhouse on Reindeer Point is tucked away in a boulder field between two bedrock outcrops above a small bay (Figures 2 and 3). Six hearth rows surround the longhouse and lay parallel to its long axis (Figure 4), which collectively has 113 individual hearth and/or meat stands consisting of a flat rock platform surrounded by a 'box' of rocks. The longest row extends some 75m and has 48 hearths. A further 58 scattered hearths might be remnants of destroyed hearth rows, and 15 nebulous stone circles appear to be associated with the hearth rows. No other Late Dorset features are present but nine Paleoeskimo tent rings predate and 61 features- including six Thule tent rings -postdate the longhouse.

The structure is approximately 42m long by 5m wide, outlined by some 80 large rocks moved from local sources (Figures 4 and 5). Most weigh several hundred kilos each, and some over 1m in length weigh an estimated 650kg or more. Ushering these boulders into place would have required the combined effort of several individuals, who likely moved them from an elevated bedrock outcrop and boulder field west of the longhouse where they would have been assisted by the downward slope.

The nature of a roof - if one was present - is unclear. Various authors have suggested scenarios from 'no roof at all' to 'rows of tents erected inside' (e.g. Reference FriesenFriesen 2007; Schlederman 1990). If the longhouse was covered, assuming it was a 1.5m tall A-frame structure, it would have required at least 245m² of hides, which is equivalent to approximately 40 walrus or 60 caribou hides.

Figure 5.

Looking down the length of the longhouse.

The interior of the longhouse is divided by four rows of rocks perpendicular to the long axis. What these divisions represent is open to debate. Possibly they represent some form of symbolic divisions among the Late Dorset groups that used the structure; however, a more likely explanation is that they represent expansion and contraction of the outer margins of the longhouse. Reference FriesenFriesen (2003) identified a similar process at the Cadfael site on Victoria Island in the western Canadian Arctic. Based on the divider locations, there are 23 possible length combinations, with the smallest being 7m in length (see Figure 4). It is not possible to determine which configuration was first, but it is likely that the most northeasterly portion of the longhouse (bottom of Figure 4) was added later because its outer walls are slightly askew from the rest of the structure. Similarly, this section probably did not function during the last use of the longhouse by Late Dorset inhabitants because the internal 30m division is built up to such an extent that suggests it was the outer edge. This apparent size flexibility implies that some longhouses were adjusted to fit the size of the assembled group.

Figure 6.

Surface artefacts, top to bottom: bone spoon, two asymmetrical flake knives, quartz crystals.

Few surface artefacts or faunal remains were associated with the longhouse. They consisted of two chert bifaces, two quartz crystals, a utilised chert flake, and a bone spoon, as well as intermittent pieces of gray chert debitage. One of the chert bifaces is an asymmetrical knife characteristic of the Late Dorset period (Reference MaxwellMaxwell 1985) (Figure 6). Unfortunately the bone fragments were walrus and small seal, which are problematic for radiocarbon dating. Based on diagnostic artefacts and architectural style, however, it is clear that this longhouse is from the Late Dorset period.

After abandonment, the longhouse was reused by Thule migrants to the region who constructed two burials into the walls after AD 1200. Other modifications appear to be related to meat caching, and a number of hearths suffered from this activity.

It is probably no coincidence that the largest Greenland longhouse is located in the Foulke Fjord region. Situated next to the Northwater Polynya, this area is teaming with bird and sea-mammal resources. The size of the Reindeer Point longhouse suggests the largest aggregations of people in Greenland during the Late Dorset period occurred here, with numbers dwindling further to the north and east based on the diminished size of longhouses in these areas.

Relations among the Greenland longhouses are not clear, especially in the absence of refined temporal information for the Reindeer Point longhouse. Future analysis is needed to discern whether all the longhouses are contemporary and nested in some form of hierarchy based on local groups, or whether the longhouses represent temporal changes in how longhouses were used during the Late Dorset period, with people using networks of widely spaced smaller longhouses during one period, and focally located larger longhouses either earlier or later. Regardless of which premise applies, the Reindeer Point longhouse stands as a form of monumental architecture in an area of the world often mistakenly associated only with small scale or snow architecture.