Big Trout Lake, N

A 5,000 year old human burial at Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Big Trout Lake, n. Ontario. Scott Hamilton Dept. of Anthropology Introduction Continuous Far northern Ontario was fully deglaciated only about ca. 8,000 years ago, Lakehead University Permafrost Manitoba H.R.B. L. Saskatchewan Manitoba In the spring of 2004, human skeletal remains were discovered along The early Holocene occupants McConnell whereupon much of the Hudson Bay Lowland (north of white dashed line) was Hudson Bay the north shore of Big Trout Lake at Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Discontinuous of northern Ontario confronted innundated by the Tyrrell Sea. The Big Trout Lake region is within the northern El Molto Permafrost (K.I.), (formerly known as Big Trout Lake F.N.) (Fig 1, 2). They were a persisting glacial environment. Alberta limits of the Precambrian Shield, but is a comparatively low relief area dotted Dept. of Anthropology As the glaciers disappeared, the initially exposed when a shoreline gravel ridge was quarried for local Big Trout Lake with many lakes and muskegs. No detailed Pleistocene thematic mapping is University of Western Ontario road construction. Subsequent surface erosion revealed bones that Far North pioneer tundra vegetation likely available to aid in documenting the early Holocene landscape, and how it attracted herd animals such as Big Trout Lake might have been used for human occupation. The accidental discovery of were discovered and excavated by Mr. Terry Childforever. Chief Donny Laurentide Ice Sheet caribou. In turn, Plano hunters multiple early Holocene human burials on well-drained but subtle local uplands Morris contacted the senior author to evaluate the nature and historical Lake Ontario were attracted northward in Agassiz (eskers, gravel ridges) is strongly suggestive of the importance of such features significance of the finds prior to their reburial in the community. The pursuit of their prey. This would for early human settlement. Wapekeka deceased was a young adult Amerindian male. AMS radiocarbon dating have encouraged the time McKay of a foot bone yielded a date of 4,450 ± 50 yBP (TO-11878), with calibration ± 50 transgressive expansion of early In light of anticipated development (mining, all-weather roads, hydro-electric Aboriginal people northward as 9,900 years BP correction indicating death and burial over 5,000 years ago. The site Glacial Ice Sheet Lake transmission corridors, etc), these burials have considerable CRM implications deglaciation proceeded. Thus, Kam. in a huge area with very little extant archaeological information. has been designated the McKay Burial site. Along with the ca. 7,000 THUNDER MontanaGlacial Melt Water North Dakota BAY Near North technologies and adaptations Present configuration of yBP human burials recovered from the nearby Wapekeka F.N.(Fig 2) associated with the late water bodies Lake Early L. Lake Duluth Ontanagan Minong Forest- Tundra 0 100 200 300 400 Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba 0 km 300 (Hamilton 2004), these discoveries represent some of the oldest human Pleistocene in more southerly Hudson Bay remains yet found in far northern Ontario. With the permission of the Hudson Bay Lowlands latitudes might have persisted km South Dakota (after Dyke and Prest 1987, Minnesota Lake Boreal Forest McAndrewsWyoming et al 1987) Chief and Council, the junior author conducted skeletal analysis at into the Holocene in the north. Chippewa north boundary Québec Great Lakes- St. Lawrence Forest Canadian Shield Lakehead University to document the vital characteristics, with ongoing Deciduous Forest The process of deglaciation proceeded comparatively rapidly after ca. 9,000 yBP, south boundary Ontario chemical analysis to reconstruct diet and nutrition. The remains were with Plano expansion shortly thereafter. However the sequence of meltwater Canadian Shield returned for reburial in the spring of 2005. As part of the research drainage, biotic recovery and isostatic rebound effects are not well understood Big Trout Lake Between 6,500 and 2000 agreement, a report and a public education poster were produced for SH/02 at a scale useful for regional archaeological analysis. 1800 years RCago, a series of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug. Post Contact Period culturesyBP were found Shield Archaic Fig 1 Modern vegetation zones in Ontario. Big Trout Lake is a major Fig 9 A surpisingly large collection of formal headwater lake that drains north into the Severn River system, and is 1600 throughout northeastern The Site Location and expedient tools were recovered from North America.500 The most located at the northern limit of the Precambrian Shield. the gravel beach in the vicinity of the two 1400 Minnesota Big Trout Lake is the primary headwater lake of the Fawn River, a geographicallyMontana extensive burial find areas (Fig. 3 and 4). With the Duck Bay 1200 (and least well-known)North is Dakota the Old Copper tributary of the Severn River in far northwestern Ontario (Fig 1). The Sandy Lake b exception of item 9b, all are produced from Lake Clearwater Culture Mistikwas Kame Hills Late Woodland Late Shield (Shield Archaic) region is currently within the northern limits of the boreal forest, about Selkirk Hudson Bay Lowland chert that was readily 1000 1000 Wisconsin Laurentian culture. The burial at the Michigan 100 km south of the Hudson Bay Lowlands. Given the age of the burial, Archaic 90˚ W 90˚ a available from stream beds and rocky McKay Site is likely affiliatedSouth Dakota New York the regional ecology was likely very different at the time of interest. shorelines, or from the eskers found 800 Wyoming Blackduck with Shield Culture. Iowa Wapekeka Nebraska Illinois Pennsylvania Very little is known about the early post-glacial landscape, and even throughout the region. Indiana Ohio SH/03 Burial Site 600 less about the human cultures of this northern region. The discovery 1500 of human remains is an important first step for developing a more Some of the tools are slightly polished and 400 McKay Burial water-worn in keeping with their deposition Fig 13 Wapekeka Gouge detailed understanding of early Aboriginal occupation of the northern c within Big Trout Lake. The collection 200 recovered from mixed AD Laurel Precambrian Shield. includes notched and unnotched projectile Woodland Middle context from Airstrip d 0 2000 points (9a, b, f). These stone tips were BC quarry pit. The burial was located within a 20 metre long low gravel ridge that, hafted on light spears, and likely date to 200 before quarrying operations, ran parallel to the north shoreline of Big between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago. Item 53˚ 45’ N 400 9a is superficially similar to a late Plano Radiocarbon years Before Present years Trout Lake, immediately north of Post Island (Fig 2, Fig 3: loc 1). Several Big B.P. projectile point (Fig 12), but the midsection 0 such gravel and sand ridges are reported along the shoreline, and local Trout 600 Late Woodland Big Trout Lake Region thickness and low quality of knapping is 1000 informants indicate that past gravel quarrying in a nearby ridge led to Woodland Early in not present Subarctic Holocene Middle Woodland 0 5 10 Lake F.N. not consistent with Plano techology. 800 (post-glacial) 2000 the accidental discovery of at least two other human graves (Fig 3: loc 3000 km N Instead, it may be a knife, or alternatively, ? 4000 2, Fig 8). The skeletons from location 2 were reburied in the community derived from portions of e Fig 10 A biface produced from Hudson Bay 1000 Big Trout Lake a presently undocumented unnotched ? Human Burial Shield NTS 53G & 53H projectile point type. This latter possibility Lowland chert. It is a general purpose cutting 5000 cemetery without investigation some time ago. 1200 Human Burials 6000 is very real given the lack of archaeological and scraping tool of a non-diagnostic sort at Wapekeka 7000 Fig 2 The McKay Burial Site along north shore of Big Trout Lake. (Also information about far northern Ontario. produced and used for thousands of years. 1400 Slow Human Burial 8000 Post Island contains the balance of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Deglaciation at Cummins Plano note Wapekeka Burial Site (FlJj-1). The raw material is widely distributed 9000 town site, and is connected to the mainland by a partially submerged 10000 Also of note are items 9c, d and g which throughout northwestern Ontario in gravel 1600 Late Folsom g Pleistocene 11000 esker ridge that is now developed as a roadway (Fig 3). The shoreline Clovis location of former house f are unifacially chipped ‘side scrapers’. Item deposits and glacial drift. Since it was 1800 Late Shield 3,000 to 1,000 BC (Ice Age) 12000 gravel ridges likely formed as part of this esker complex. Throughout 9e is a flake that was used as an expedient recovered from the beach zone, there is no northern Ontario these eskers are a common feature, and in a rugged gravel ridge (approx) cutting tool. All of these materials are from way of knowing whether it dates to the time Fig 11 A ‘timechart’ showing the archaeologically- landscape mantled with lakes, rivers and muskeg, offered attractive artifact yielding section of beach a local private collection, and brief of the nearby human burial. defined history of northern Ontario. Human occupation well-drained travel corridors and ecologically diverse micro-habitats. inspection by Hamilton did not yield any of northern Ontario likely began after about 9,000 years 1,2 gravel ridges Between 2 and 5 burials were disturbed during construction of the Wapekeka The ancient burials at both Wapekeka and Big Trout Lake were recovered other cultural material on the exposed ago. The McKay burial site from Big Trout Lake dates airstrip. They were buried within water-laid sand on a stranded beach feature on or near esker features, and other similar burials might lie undiscovered gravel beach.

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