La ferme du Bas-de-la-Baie, 1673-1759 : contribution zooarchéologique à l'étude des sites ruraux
This Master's thesis presents the results of a zooarchaeological study based on two occupations of a single site dating to the beginning of the colonization of Baie-Saint-Paul (17th-18th centuries). An analysis of the faunal assemblage, a total of 1175 animal bones, has shown the opposite characters of the occupations. The tar makers' habitation site reveals the exploitation of wild ressources to make up for deficient animal rearing, as well as the skinning of wild game to provide a supplementary income through the fur trade. The farm established by the Seminaire de Quebec reveals an alimentation based on farm produce, augmented by the hunting of wild species from the immediate environment. The zooarchaeological study of the Bas-de-la-Baie farm site also confirms the central role of breeding for rural sites in the St. Lawrence Valley, while underlining their diversity, in which farming, hunting and fishin played complementary roles.