QUEST FOR QUARTZITE: Aboriginal Ancestors at Sheguiandah WRITTEN BY GLORIA HILDEBRANDT HE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT AREA has several sites that Treveal some of the history of indigenous North Americans. They may have been attracted to certain qualities of the Escarpment, or it may simply be that relatively recent protection of the areas from development has also preserved the sites. Manitoulin Island’s village of Sheguiandah is near a site so significant that it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. 24 Niagara Escarpment Views • summer 2017 QUEST FOR QUARTZITE: Aboriginal Ancestors at Sheguiandah WRITTEN BY GLORIA HILDEBRANDT Aerial view of the archaeological site near Sheguiandah, Manitoulin Island. The site covers a broad area above the wing and includes the bare bedrock visible among the trees. PHOTO BY PETER L. STORCK, ©ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM. summer 2017 • Niagara Escarpment Views 25 ACCORDING TO HISTORIC quartzite, from which early site at Sheguiandah was date increased because of SITES AND MONUMENTS Aboriginal peoples could studied by Thomas E. Lee in complexities involving glacial BOARD OF CANADA, make tools and weapons. the 1950s. Based on artifacts ice, whether the Sheguiandah “Sheguiandah was designated Large stone hammers were he found, such as scrapers artifacts could be found in a national historic site of used to strike off pieces of and knives, some of which glacial deposits, and the age Canada in 1954 because the bedrock, and from the are displayed in Centennial of ice advancements and through more than 9,000 finer fragments the settlers Museum of Sheguiandah, Lee retreats. Research done since years…Aboriginal peoples chipped out great numbers estimated the earliest date of the 1950s on glacier ages has came to quarry the local of knives, scrapers, and other occupation at the site to be suggested that the ice age outcrops of quartzite, leaving tools for use in hunting, about 30,000 years ago. This relevant to Manitoulin Island an integrated cultural and fishing, and food-gathering.” date was an astonishingly and therefore to any artifacts environmental record. Regarded as “the richest early estimate of human found in its deposits, could be “The main features of the Stone Age find ever recorded occupation in North America. as much as 135,000 years ago. site are the local outcrops of for Canada,” the archaeological Controversy over the 26 Niagara Escarpment Views • summer 2017 Ancient scrapers discovered by Thomas E. Lee in the 1950s on display at Centennial Museum of Sheguiandah. PHOTO BY MIKE DAVIS, COURTESY OF CENTENNIAL MUSEUM OF SHEGUIANDAH. Studying stone debris left from tool making 10,000 years ago. Dense surface scatter of broken tools and debris can be destroyed by walking on it, which is why the site is so vulnerable. PHOTO BY PETER L. STORCK, ©ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM. Spear points made of Sheguiandah Reexamined large amount of archaeological Wanting to learn quartzite, found at Sheguiandah Further research was done material visible on the surface, more about the story of by Peter Storck’s team. “The lanceolate (leaf-shaped) style at Sheguiandah in 1991 by a debris from tool making, Sheguiandah, the author and method of manufacture team that included Dr. Peter some of it little disturbed since of this article, with its indicate that these artifacts L. Storck, archaeologist and the time it was deposited.” photographer, joined other were made by Late Paleo- curator at the Royal Ontario Peter was a speaker at people in researching the Indian people around 10,000 Museum. Findings at that time the Sources of Knowledge site. The small Centennial years ago, supported by the revealed that the date of the Forum in Tobermory last Museum of Sheguiandah geological age of the deposits site is closer to 9,500 years spring, and new interest was houses some of Lee’s found (as interpreted by us in 1991) and paleoenvironmental ago. It is still “very early, one sparked in his 2004 book artifacts, photographs, evidence (we also obtained of the earliest in northern Journey to the Ice Age, which drawings and maps, which we in 1991) elsewhere on the Ontario, occupied shortly after chronicles his career and were invited to photograph. site,” explains Peter. de-glaciation,” Peter says now. details the history and mystery Next, we tried to find the PHOTO BY PETER L. STORCK, “The site is also unusual in the of the Sheguiandah site. site. We ended up on top of a ©ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM. summer 2017 • Niagara Escarpment Views 27 A detailed map of the Sheguiandah National Historic Site, on display in the museum. PHOTO BY MIKE DAVIS, COURTESY OF CENTENNIAL MUSEUM OF SHEGUIANDAH. hill that may or may not have while the slopes to the east and been the actual site, although south are much more gradual, it somewhat resembles this falling gently toward the description in Peter’s book: waters of Sheguiandah Bay on “The site is truly impressive. It the coastline of Georgian Bay.” A trench beginning to be covers a large white quartzite excavated by Peter Storck’s hill that juts high above the Sensitive Issues team in 1991. Thomas E. Lee’s surrounding fields and glistens Not having completely read 1950s excavations were re- examined in order to confirm or brilliantly when sunlight the book at the time, I hadn’t re-interpret his estimated age of passes through the sparse yet come to the warning at the occupation as 30,000 years ago. oaks on its upper ridges and very end: “The archaeological PHOTO BY PETER L. STORCK, crests. On the north and west site is located on the northern ©ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM. faces of the hill the slopes are edge of the village. Please do steep, in places nearly vertical, not attempt to walk onto the Continued on page 30 28 Niagara Escarpment Views • summer 2017 A possible quartzite deposit used by prehistoric people. Quartzite is a lightly- coloured, very hard but brittle rock that is well suited to making stone tools. The imagination sees arrowheads and spear points on top of these slices of rock, although tools were made by knapping flints off larger pieces. PHOTO BY MIKE DAVIS. summer 2017 • Niagara Escarpment Views 29 site because it is extremely vulnerable to disturbance, the land is all privately owned, and no formal trails exist. Remember that it is not only illegal to pick up or remove objects from any archaeological site in Ontario without a licence but to do so is roughly equivalent to tearing a page out of a one-of-a-kind history book owned by a public library. The missing page not only mutilates the book but changes forever what we and future generations might otherwise have learned from the past.” A later statement from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport makes the Pieces of a small animal point even more strongly: skull found on the rock. “We recognize and respect PHOTO BY MIKE DAVIS. Indigenous peoples’ significant contribution to Ontario’s cultural heritage and their interest in archaeology. The Ontario Heritage Act makes it illegal for anyone but a licensed archaeologist to knowingly disturb an archaeological site. This means that unless you are a licensed archaeologist, it is illegal for you to dig an archaeological site to record its condition or remove and keep artifacts. Visitation to a designated archaeological site should only be undertaken with a licensed archaeologist and with the permission of the landowner.” First Nations’ people also have interests in the ancient Sheguiandah site. Some Elders use the place for meditation and ceremonies. There can be friction between commemoration and interpretative uses. Sheguiandah First Nation locale was seen by many in of oral history. The conclusion a 1991 team member, agrees did not respond to our the community as a sacred that Indigenous culture is that the site may be sacred to requests for information. place. Not only is this a place present and vital in an ancient some First Nations’ people, Dr. Ron Williamson of in which one can see the sacred place is inescapable.” but he believes that multiple Archaeological & Cultural inextricable links between uses may be possible, and Heritage Services, who was natural and cultural heritage What Visitors Can Do that a culturally sensitive involved in the 1991 work but also the importance of Dr. Patrick Julig of Laurentian development could happen, on the site, notes “The site intagible heritage in the form University in Sudbury, also as long as the more sensitive 30 Niagara Escarpment Views • summer 2017 A brilliant white stripe of possible quartzite running through the rock glistens in the sunlight. PHOTO BY MIKE DAVIS. Interesting stone fragments on the surface among moss and lichen. PHOTO BY MIKE DAVIS. areas are protected. and fencing in the site this “We think that visitor year. We will be placing access may soon be possible,” interpretive/educational trail he explains. “The Town signage at designated points of NEMI and Centennial on the site. Guided tours Museum are well along toward will be provided through the developing educational Centennial Museum. No one interactive displays, signage, will be permitted on the trail and historical tour of the otherwise in the interest of Sheg site and new museum preserving the site. For those displays. They have raised unable to traverse the trail, most of the funding, I believe, we will have interpretive signs and signage is being made and displays at the Centennial for the important locations Museum in Sheguiandah.” along the trail. So likely by late summer or fall, guided Gloria Hildebrandt and tours may be possible.” Mike Davis are co-founders David Williamson, chief and co-publishers of administrative officer of Town Niagara Escarpment Views. of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, confirms “The municipality will be developing the trail system summer 2017 • Niagara Escarpment Views 31.