article

'Always with them either a feast or a famine': living off the land with Chipewyan Indians, 1791-1792

Arctic anthropology30 (2) • Published In 1993 • Pages: 40-60

By: Helm, June.

Abstract
In this paper, Helm estimates the food and calorie intake of 18th-century Chipewyans based on the detailed journal kept by the trader Peter Filder. Filder traveled with a party of Chipewyans between Great Slave Lake and Lake Athapasca, from September 4, 1791 to April 10, 1792. He recorded in his journal the daily number of animals killed and consumed. Helm is left to estimate the size, consumable tissue, leanness, and calories of the animals. She also has to estimate the size of the travelling party which changes as they meet and travel with other groups. She concludes that the average daily intake for members of the traveling party was 6.15-6.89 lbs., or 5140-5780 kcal per person.
Subjects
Organization and analysis of results of research
Fauna
History
Nutrition
Hunting and trapping
Diet
culture
Chipewyans
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
North America
Sub Region
Arctic and Subarctic
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 1999
Field Date
Not Specified
Coverage Date
1791-1792
Coverage Place
Great Slave Lake region, Northwest Territories, Canada
Notes
June Helm
Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-60)
LCCN
sf 78000711
LCSH
Chipewyan Indians