The history of Dorset Eskimo archaeological research now spans a half-century and appears to be fully mature. At the outset, progress in this research was sporadic, but in the last two decades momentum has increased and we have achieved many significant clarifications of the general Dorset problem. These include a firm definition of Dorset people as true Eskimos, and further insights with respect to their temporal and geographic spread throughout the central and eastern Arctic, their localized adaptations to changing environments, and, as a persistent theme, their noteworthy cultural conservatism through time. This paper deals primarily with the middle and late stages of Dorset culture as seen in marginal settlements in western Newfoundland and southeastern Hudson Bay.