Ancient Saskatchewan archaeological site falls victim to illegal scavenging

A important archaeological site in Saskatchewan has go a people for amerciable scavenging.

Âsowanânihk, which means "a spot to cross" successful Cree, is located adjacent Prince Albert and is estimated to beryllium astir 11,000 years old. It holds a wealthiness of grounds of Indigenous settlements that likely existed there.

A section ambassador for the site says nationalist quality sum and wide popularity has led to an increase successful harm from quality interference to the site, including the amerciable signifier of cookware hunting.

"There's been potters, oregon radical really digging into the tract unauthorized," said Dave Rondeau, section historiographer and the Crutwell consultation co-ordinator for Métis Local 66. "Without immoderate respect for what this tract is successful and of itself."

The value of the site

The Âsowanânihk site was apt utilized arsenic a semipermanent colony by Indigenous people, according to archaeologists.

"You know, this is simply a model for us, an accidental and a model for america to adjacent backmost thousands of years and constitute the communicative right from the onset of habitation for our territory," Rondeau said.

Glenn Stewart, an subordinate prof successful the section of anthropology astatine the University of Saskatchewan, describes the tract as "one of the oldest successful Saskatchewan, particularly further north."

"Preserving it for aboriginal generations is not lone thing we privation to bash arsenic archaeologists, but it's besides a cardinal value to Sturgeon Lake First Nation and different Indigenous groups successful the area," Stewart said. 

As the tract gets much attention, Rondeau said radical should beryllium helping to sphere it, not damaging it successful hunt of relics.

"As it becomes amended known, determination is ever the hazard that you mightiness person much unscrupulous individuals going retired and cookware hunting."

Pot hunting involves illegally digging up artifacts to support oregon sell, often without immoderate knowing of the archaeological worth they hold. Rondeau said he's seen grounds of it astatine the tract — shovel markings and harm on the riverbank.

"You tin corrupt the study," Rondeau said. "What bully is removing these, you know, lithic worldly oregon points oregon stone oregon bones if it's conscionable going to spell into a container underneath your bed?"

Archaeologists similar Stewart are trained to cautiously excavate and grounds findings truthful that the narration betwixt the artifacts tin beryllium understood successful the larger discourse of the site.

"Archaeology successful itself is simply a destructive process," Stewart said. "We walk a batch of clip grooming our students on how to decently excavate a tract truthful that each of that accusation remains intact."

A program for preservation

A University of Saskatchewan squad is moving connected a preservation program for the site. Using tiny cores extracted from the area, the squad volition effort to get a definitive reply connected however far the tract extends.

"We privation to beryllium capable to bring successful youth, particularly Indigenous youth, truthful they tin larn astir their ain history," Stewart said. "The Canadian authorities has done a precise bully occupation of erasing that history, truthful we privation to springiness backmost now."

These tests volition besides assistance find however to sphere the tract for aboriginal generations.

Rondeau said that while archaeological probe is essential, it is conscionable arsenic important that the section communities, particularly Indigenous people, are progressive successful the conversation.

"Whatever we bash successful presumption of probe volition beryllium governed by what Sturgeon Lake and different Indigenous groups privation to spot hap astatine the site," Stewart said.

By moving together, archaeologists and Indigenous communities anticipation to sphere a transportation with the ancestors and the past past of the land.

"Everybody owns this site. We are each pact people, but we request immoderate level of, for deficiency of a amended term, stewardship oregon the quality to enforce, to halt the contamination of and the demolition of this site," Rondeau said.