Susan Lofthouse, Christine Iorio and Allen Pogotak excavating midden beside Thule house at Woodward Point.

Archaeological investigations along northern Prince Albert Sound were carried out in early-mid August 2003.   The excavations concentrated upon Dorset, Thule and Historic Inuit sites at the Kuuk River, Thule Inuit sites at Woodward Point, Cape Ptarmigan, and the Thule Inuit Co-op site southeast of Holman. At the Co-op site and Kuuk river sites, excavations were restricted to previously disturbed or excavated sod houses and middens (garbage heaps), while at the Cape Ptarmigan and Woodward Point sites excavations were restricted to test pits in middens and sod houses. While a small number of artifacts were recovered from the excavations, the primary goal was to collect animal bones, primarily seal, caribou and musk-ox teeth, to determine changes through time in the level of various trace (potentially toxic) elements.   These changes can be determined through the chemical analyses of trace elements in the teeth themselves.

Susan Lofthouse beside Historic Inuit tent ring previously excavated by Robert McGhee at Kuuk River.