Ancient camp unearthed

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Ancient camp unearthed
 
Algonquin artifacts believed to be up to 2,000 years old
 
By Dave Rogers, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 27, 2009


_{Digging near the Rideau River, from left, Ramsay Macfie, Mike McLean and Adam Pollock hunt for artifacts at a camp that is believed to have been used by aboriginal people as far back as 300 BC. Among the artifacts found at the site was an ancient stone axe head, shown below. Other items discovered include animal bones, tiny stone scrapers and pottery shards.
Photograph by: Bruno Schlumberger, The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Citizen}

[Hawkman]

A team of archeologists working for the City of Ottawa has uncovered the oldest aboriginal camp yet found within the city limits, including stone tools and pieces of artfully decorated pottery dating from 300 BC to 700 AD.

Archeologists believe that the camp on the Rideau River was used periodically by Algonquin people because it was a good site for fishing, hunting and perhaps for gathering berries.

The dig started in early November because a nearby construction project will disturb the site for about a year. The National Capital Commission and scientists working on the dig do not want the location disclosed because souvenir hunters might dig up the riverbank looking for artifacts.

The dig, which unearthed a camp about 80 metres long by perhaps 30 metres wide ended Thursday. Ian Badgley, an NCC archeologist, said the commission hopes the public will eventually be able to work on the Rideau River site and at other Ottawa Valley locations to promote greater awareness of the region's prehistoric past.

Jacqueline Fisher, an archeologist and the owner of Fisher Archaeological Consulting, said the site is the first ancient aboriginal community found in Ottawa and the artifacts are of high quality.

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Fisher and other archeologists have been at the site for the past four weeks, screening the sandy soil layer by layer. They have uncovered animal bones, tiny stone scrapers used to remove the flesh from hides that were used as clothing, pottery shards and a sharp stone axe head that was likely used to chop wood 1,500 to 2,000 years ago.

"We have been finding stained soil where they have built fires or pits where they have fire-cracked rock and have been storing food," Fisher said. "This was a camp that was a good place to be, so they came here for many centuries

"There was good fishing, good hunting and good drainage. It was not a village because it was too far back in time for that. These people would go here to forage and would have encouraged certain plants to come back. They had pottery so they didn't move frequently."

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Scientists dated the site by examining the style of the pottery they found while sifting the soil. Material found at the site came from the Quebec interior, southwestern Ontario and New York state, indicating the people who used the camp travelled widely or traded with other tribes.

Fisher said she found pottery and tool fragments at the site when she tested the site with a shovel in July and September. The team uncovered the most of the artifacts in layers 15 to 20 centimetres beneath the surface.

Ian Badgley, the NCC's first archaeologist, said the oldest aboriginal site found in the region at Leamy Lake Park is about 6,500 years old.

"We expect to be able to identify sites within the city limits that were occupied as early as 10,000 to 10,500 years ago," Badgley said. "They would be on high ancestral elevations along the Ottawa River.

"We are talking about the Carp Ridge and Gatineau Park. There are still aboriginal artifacts in the mortar on Parliament Hill. There is an interesting possibility in Luskville on top of the escarpment, but nobody has done anything to confirm that."

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Badgley said the Rideau River site is the first excavation of its kind in Ottawa and should be used as a model for developing awareness about the region's archaeological resources.

"This could be the key for other work in the future," Badgley said. "The public could get involved in this work. The will is there and we just have to look into it."

The Algonquins from Golden Lake who have filed a land claim for the entire Ottawa Valley, including Parliament Hill, have been monitoring the dig.

Robert Potts, a lawyer representing the Algonquins in one of Canada's largest land claims, said the dig is being done in a respectful manner, but the Algonquins want control over the artifacts.

"The Algonquins are concerned that any artifacts be dealt with appropriately," Potts said. "We hope that when the land claim is concluded that we can have the relics and other Algonquin materials maintained at a site that is managed by Algonquins.

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"We anticipate a certain amount of land flowing to the Algonquins and there would be co-management of resources. They petitioned 200 years ago to have a treaty signed, but the government of the day never got around to it."

Meanwhile, Badgley said the archeologists must store the artifacts until a museum or repository can be found to accept them. He added he stores aboriginal artifacts at home because the museums are full and nobody is willing to accept them.

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See a photo gallery and video of the artifacts and dig site, at: ottawacitizen.com
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