The goal of this paper is to understand the development of economic and so- cial interactions between several different societies, or cultural-ethnic groups, occupying the same regional environment and involved in a common political economy. Toward this end, Chipewyan, Cree, Métis and Euro-Canadian rela- tionships and conflicts in central subarctic Canada will illustrate the complexi- ties and subtleties of intergroup dynamics emerging over a two-century span from the late 18th to the mid-20th centuries. Particular emphasis in this paper will be given to the period between the 1890s and 1950s.
We began grappling with these issues over 30 years ago, for which we developed a particular style or genre of ethnoarchaeology which involves a syn- ergistic blend of historical archaeology, archival ethnohistory, and ethnography. First, we will provide a brief overview of some of the key findings and inter- pretations of our research1. Second, the occasion of the Tromsø conference of- fers an opportunity to rethink Chipewyan-Cree-Métis relations and, perhaps, to reassess their theoretical relevance for discussions of “interaction spheres,” networks, and identity in archaeology and anthropology generally.