Let's look at one part of the Land Use Planning; Archaeology.
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF WEST PATRICIA
VOICES FROM THE EARTH: A 7,000 YEAR OUTLINE
By the Historical Planning and Research Branch of the (now) Ontario Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport
1981
Archaeology in West Patricia...the reason why
In 1978, the Ontario government initiated the West Patricia Land Use Plan, a multi-year study of the environmental impact of proposed industrial development in the extreme northwestern part of the province - about 90, 000 square miles. Part of the study involves the archaeological investigation to locate pre-historic and historic fur trade sites, the first major archaeological inventory under-taken in the north. The results have brought to light some startling, new perceptions of the lifeways of our forerunners.
An area erroneously thought to contain only sparse remains of a tiny peripheral group of prehistoric hunters and fishers actually has been a vibrant community for at least 7,000 years. We have discovered hundreds of sites dotting every major river system in the area - the Attawapiskat, the Albany, the English, the Berens, the Severn and others - and these tell a story of people who knew and successfully travelled the northwestern routes for thousands of years. Early European fur traders did not "discover" a new land but were guided on their way by the native mapmakers of old, and they exploited Indian trade networks already in place along which went copper westwards from Lake Superior, furs, hides and meat southward to Minnesota, lithic materials eastward from the Plains and possibly cultivated foodstuffs northward from the Upper Mississippi.
The prehistoric network of West Patricia is amply shown in the archaeological record - finely decorated pots similar to those found in Northern Manitoba and Northern Minnesota, beautifully flaked stone spearpoints and arrow heads made from the "cherts" brought in from North Dakota and the Lakehead, and elegant tools of native copper imported from Lake Superior. Similarly the areas adjacent to West Patricia contain its products in abundance, especially the distinctive Hudson Bay Lowland "chert", a handsome tan stone material that was prized by prehistoric tool makers from Manitoba to the Lakehead.
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| This illustration is from The Archaeology of North Central Ontario Prehistoric Cultures North of Superior OMCTS 1979 |
The past is parent of the present, and by reconstructing the Past of West Patricia through its archaeological record, we can grasp how its culture came to be what it is today, and plan for its future.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN WEST PATRICIA...VOICES FROM THE EARTH
1. The Palaeo- Indians about 7,000 to 4,000 years ago penetrated the North as far as Lac Seul in the west and 100 miles north of Lake Superior in the eastern part of West Patricia. Their existence in the area was previously unknown.
2.West Patricia participated in the mainstream of pre-historic life, and was not a "peripheral" area as previously thought. This fact is demonstrated by the presence in the archaic period of stone spear points typical of Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba and copper tools like those from Wisconsin and the Lakehead.
3. Artifacts of the Laurel (200 BC - AD 1000) and Blackduck (AD 1000 - AD 1700) cultures, previously found only as far north as the Red Lake area, have been discovered in the far north near the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
4. Pottery vessels of the "Clearwater Lake" type 9ancestral Cree) discovered before in Northern Manitoba were recovered in large quantities also in Northwestern Ontario, indicating Cree people were here at least as early as AD 1400.
5. An emphasis on rock art recording in West Patricia means we have a basis on which to begin intensive studies of styles, interpretations and cultural affiliations of Indian pictographs. Methods of dating the sites have yet to be devised but stylistic analyses may give clues. our guess, on the basis of collected data, is a range from AD 1000 to AD 1800.
6. Researchers have remarked that the archaeological sites in the North would truly be tiny - probably the remains of small, single - family hunting groups. However, sites such as Wenasaga Rapids at Ear Falls is large, covering several hundred square metres with well preserved remains - as many as seven Laurel pottery vessels may be completely reconstructable. It may have been a village housing many families of one band ( about 150 people ) and may alter our ideas of the social structure of prehistoric groups in the North.
7.It is becoming clear that fish played a larger role in prehistoric subsistence than previously thought. The large villages such as Wenasaga are situated to take advantage of the spawning areas of West Patricia.
8. A completely reconstructed pottery vessel from the Berens River , one of the rarest finds in West Patricia, gives us a chance to appreciate the intricate craftsmanship of the prehistoric people. Prehistoric ceramics in Northwestern Ontario are delicate, thin-walled pots more finely made and decorated than Plains and Iroquoian types to the west, south and east.
LANDFORMS AND GLACIATION...IN THE BEGINNING
The present landscape of West Patricia is a direct result of continental glaciation. At least 20,000 years ago a massive major ice front moved south and south-west from an area in Hudson Bay between the Labrador coast and northwestern Manitoba across Northwestern Ontario. This large ice mass deeply scoured the landscape as it moved as far south as the northern United States.
Most of the present day landscape is a result not of the southerly movement of ice, but of the deposition left by its retreat that consisted of a series of halts and advances leaving landscape features such as moraines ( glacial drift deposited at the leading edge of a glacier), eskers (long narrow ridges of sand and gravel whcih were once beds of streams flowing beneath, or in, the ice of a glacier and which were left behind when the ice melted), till deposits, and a realignment of stream patterns. There is good evidence that this continental glacier was still active in the northern part of the area as recently as 7,800 years ago.
As a direct result of the ice retreat various large glacial lakes, formed by the meltwaters of the ice, were present along the margins of the ice front. What has now become known as glacial Lake Agassiz covered a large portion of the southern and western part of the study area. It is only with the retreating glacier and the subsequent regeneration of plant and animal communities that the possibility of incursion into the area by man became possible.
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| From: The Archaeology of North Central Ontario : Prehistoric Cultures North of Superior |
The earliest evidence of man's occupation 9Palaeo - Indian) of the West Patricia area is very sparse, occurring only in the southern fringes of the study area. This early occupation seems to be associated with the margins of glacial Lake Agassiz and can be directly tied tot he time of the retreat of the glacial ice and the subsequent availability of the landscape for human occupation.
DOING THEIR WORK
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| GETTING THERE |
Most of West Patricia is without roads. Archaeological crews flew in by bush plane from Red Lake, Sioux Lookout and Geraldton.
When describing how archaeologists do their work for the West Patricia project, it is best to describe first what we are looking for. Along the lakes and rivers of Northern Ontario are many ideal camping spots. Many used today have been home to people for thousands of years. Pieces of pottery, stone scrapers, projectile points and more commonly waste flakes of stone, discarded during the process of making stone tools, are found on the surface or in test holes placed across a camp site.
However, it must be remembered that the earlier inhabitants may not have always used the land in the way a modern camper does. Specific types of sites such as those associated with the gathering of wild rice, winter campsites, or specified hunting camps may be found in areas which the modern camper would not use. Also, the changes in the climate and dam construction have caused changes in water levels so that some sites may now be either above or below the present shoreline. Changes in the course of a river or stream can also place sites in an area where modern man might not expect them.
Archaeologists must take into account all these factors. The time budgeted for a survey and the immense size of the study area must also be considered. The vast majority of the work so far undertaken in the West Patricia study has been done along the present water systems.
A lake is systematically surveyed - all points, bays, rock outcrops and other "possible" site areas are first surface collected and then "tested" by means of a series of small excavation test pits placed across likely areas of past habitation. From this it is hoped that as many sites as possible will be found and their size and function will be determined.
Artifacts recovered in different portions of a site are placed in separate bags marked with the location so that back in the laboratory, clues to the site's use, not visible in the field, can be found. For example, on many sites specific activities such as stone tool making, pottery making, the location of the dwellings and cooking activities may have taken place in different areas; by keeping the artifacts separate it may be possible to determine these activity areas by the number of specific types of artifacts found in each area - burnt and cracked bones, ash and cracked rocks would indicate a cooking hearth, while a hearth with broken pottery and fired clay may indicate an area used to fire clay pots. An area with high concentrations of stone waste flakes likely indicates a tool-maker's work shop. Other areas with scrapers and cutting tools may be evidence of food preparation or an area where hides were prepared for future use as clothes.
These interpretations can be full of errors and only further investigations can answer many of the preliminary interpretations. For example, a site that has seen a series of occupations through time ( a "multi-component" site) may appear at first analysis to show relationship between activity areas while in fact these areas are a different product of different peoples at different periods.
Many of the sites found in West Patricia contain only a few flakes and a single piece of pottery. In such cases, it is possible only to state that people have used the area and possibly, it an identifiable stone or ceramic artifact is found, what culture produced the artifact. On a daily basis, the surveyor located a majority of this type of site. However, the rewards of locating a large and rich site, coupled with the beauty of the Northern lakes and rivers far outweighs the daily scourge of bugs, and the occasional days spent wind-bound or forced into a tent because of rain storms.
Many of the areas studied have never been visited by archaeologists before. West Patricia is a vast area that still has mysteries to reveal.
The West Patricia Archaeological Project, a sub- component of the West Patricia Land Use Plan, was funded by the Ministry of Northern Affairs.
William Ross Regional Archaeologist, North Central Region
Paddy Reid Regional Archaeologist , Northwest Region
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