Tayara site (KbFk-7) and the Dorset period: multidisciplinary research on a key Palaeoeskimo site of the Hudson Strait (Nunavik, Canada)

Over the last few years, a multidisciplinary research team has been assembled by the Avataq Cultural Institute to work on the Tayara site (KbFk-7) located on the southern shore of Hudson Strait in Nunavik, Northern Quebec. The geomorphologic context and the exceptional preservation of the archaeological layers give this Palaeoeskimo site a key role in understanding the prehistory of Eastern Arctic. This article presents the first observations as well as some preliminary results from this long-term research project including geoarchaeology, faunal, architecture, lithic and osseous industry analyses as well as a revision of the chronology and a discussion on the impact of those researches for the understanding of Palaeoeskimo chronology. The value of Tayara as a type site for the Early Dorset is reevaluated as we reconstitute the sequence of occupation. It illustrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in our search for a better understanding of the Palaeoeskimo way of life and in the analysis of archaeological sites in general. All rights reserved, Elsevier