Research Report † 112 Locust Lane Court Charlottesville, Virginia 22901 [ba7f@virginia.edu] Abstract. The Hopedale region in Labra- dor, Canada has a rich history of human activity. Some of the earliest archaeological research on Inuit of this region was conduc- ted by American archaeologist Junius Bird in 1935; however, few researchers have returned to the region to expand on his work. This paper provides a summary of recent exca- vations conducted at an eighteenth century Inuit sod house settlement Bird identified on Anniowaktook Island (GgCi-02) just east of Hopedale. The region was considered a cen- tral trading area among Inuit. Excavations were expected to identify items indicative of this trade with the increasing prevalence of European traders along the coast. Instead, artifact assemblages at Anniowaktook reveal a smaller than expected collection of trade items, and a surprisingly high density of metal materials. The types and quantity of materials amassed suggest Anniowaktook Inuit were making different consumption choices to acquire materials for tool manu- facture which were not traditionally part of the trade system. Résumé. La ville et la région d’Hopedale au Labrador, Canada, ont un riche passé d’occupation humaine comme l’a démontré une étude archéologique dirigée par Junius Bird en 1935 sur la population Inuit de cette région. Cependant, peu de chercheurs y étaient retournés pour poursuivre ce que Bird avait entrepris. Le présent travail expose les résultats des fouilles menées récemment dans un village Inuit du 18ème siècle, dans l’île Anniowaktook (GgCi-02), à l’est d’Hope- dale, où Bird avait identifié des maisons de tourbe (sod houses). Puisque la région était censée avoir été un centre commercial important, on pensait que les fouilles aide- raient à identifier des objets prouvant l’exis- tence de ce commerce et surtout à montrer la prédominance des marchands européens tout le long de la côte. Au contraire, la col- lection d’artefacts retrouvés à Anniowaktook contient très peu d’objets ayant servi au com- merce, mais plutôt une quantité surprenante d’objets en métal. La diversité et la quantité des métaux retrouvés suggèrent que les Inuit d’Anniowaktook choisissaient d’acquérir des matériaux pour la fabrication d’outils qui ne faisaient pas partie du réseau commercial traditionnel. I n 1935, American archaeologist Junius Bird visited Hopedale in northeast Canada as part of a two-month survey of the Labrador coast between Oakes Bay and Eskimo Island. As one of the earliest archaeological investigations in the region, Bird’s survey was an exten- sive study of Inuit life. He examined five sites and excavated 45 of the 88 Inuit sod houses he found in the region, providing architectural and archaeological evi- dence for Thule Inuit occupation in Lab- rador. His work established the culture history of the region and helped inspire much of the current research on Labra- dor. One of his most significant contribu- tions to date was finding that over time, The Return to Hopedale: Excavations at Anniowaktook Island, Hopedale, Labrador Beatrix Arendt † Canadian Journal of Archaeology/Journal Canadien d’Archéologie 37: 302–330 (2013)