An Ancient Bond with the Land

Maritime Peoples

Inland Pursuits

Most people moved inland to escape the harsh winter coastal conditions. They relied heavily on foods harvested in summer and autumn. To add to stored provisions, people went ice fishing, and hunted and trapped game. Hunters called moose with birch bark moose calls, and killed them with spears. They ambushed caribou along the shores of frozen lakes. Both animals supplied meat, hides for clothing, and bone and antler that people used to make a variety of tools.

Only the warmest coastal areas, and protected bays in the most southerly parts of the region, remained inhabited throughout the winter. Here people could collect shellfish from the intertidal zone. Shellfish were an important part of the winter diet.