Accessing Hunter-Gatherer site structures using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: applications at a Taltheilei settlement in the Canadian Sub-Arctic

► FTIR detected a weak montgomeryite signal in soils. ► Montgomeryite formed from diagenesis of ash and caribou processing residues. ► Calcite and carbonate hydroxylapatite indicate hearths fuelled using wood and bone. ► Bone crystallinity confirms intense burning, supporting cold season occupations.