Dorset Use of Caribou Bones at Mingo Lake (LdFa- 1): A Faunal Analysis and Application of 3D Technology for the Recovery of Bone Tool Blanks

Abstract

The faunal remains from the Dorset culture component at the LdFa-1 site, located at Mingo Lake on Baffin Island, showcase extensive cutting on some caribou bones in the form of the groove and splinter technique. These bones are known from other Dorset sites to have been cut for tools and reflect the assemblage of cut bones from Mingo Lake. These cut bones were scanned and evaluated against the comparative collection, and digitally overlaid to extract the blank that the Dorset were seeking for their tools. This blank could be 3D printed and physically compared to tools for a clearer understanding of the shape the Dorset were seeking for their tools, and which elements could provide that for them.