The Liahn II Site and Early Woodland Mortuary Ceremonialism
Volume: OA33
Year: 1980
Author: WILLIAMSON, R. F.
Page Range: 3 – 11
Abstract: Recent excavations at the Liahn II site (AcHo-2) located near Mitchell Bay, Lake St. Clair, in Kent Co., Ontario, has revealed a probable Early Woodland burial area as indicated by the recovery of twelve burials and an assortment of mortuary items. As with other sites of this cultural and temporal period, the use of red ochre is extensive yet its symbolic nature remains unexplained.
Dawson Creek: An Early Woodland Site in South-Central Ontario
Volume: OA33
Year: 1980
Author: JACKSON, L. J.
Page Range: 13 – 32
Abstract: The Early Woodland Dawson Creek site was discovered in 1976 during an archaeological survey of the western Rice Lake basin in south-central Ontario. Limited test excavation revealed diagnostic ceramics and lithics, as well as floral and faunal remains, in association with hearth/pit features. Radiocarbon dates for these features place site occupation at about 500 years B.C. The nature and significance of the Dawson Creek site material is discussed.
Early Man in Northwestern Ontario: New Plano Evidence
Volume: OA33
Year: 1980
Author: REID, C. S.
Page Range: 33 – 36
Abstract: A new Plano site in the Rainy River area of Northwestern Ontario has produced 2 surface- collected projectile points possessing Agate Basin attributes, and 2 other bifacially flaked lithic tools. Their significance, and the site’s potential for future research, are briefly discussed.
Ballysadare (DkKp-10): A Laurel-Blackduck Site at the Source of the Winnipeg River
Volume: OA33
Year: 1980
Author: RAJNOVICH, G.
Page Range: 37 – 58
Abstract: The Ballysadare site (DkKp-10) on the Winnipeg River in Kenora, Ontario, is a small encampment used by both Laurel and Blackduck people. Test excavations of 9 one-meter units revealed a feature consisting of a curved line of rocks surrounding a grey loam lens associated with Laurel ceramics and a radiocarbon date of 150 B.C. ± 165; it may be the remains of a very early Middle Woodland structure. The late Woodland component contains a hearth, lithic reduction feature, and artifacts typical of Shield area Blackduck sites.
Iroquois Effigy Rattle Pipes
Volume: OA33
Year: 1980
Author: KAPCHES, M.
Page Range: 59 – 68
Abstract: A small number of ceramic Iroquois effigy pipes have been discovered to have enclosed cavities containing grit inclusions that cause the pipes to rattle when shaken. This paper is a brief research note describing the examples in the Royal Ontario Museum and University of Toronto collections. The techniques of production and the cultural and chronological character of the pipes are discussed. It is suggested that other researchers may discover additional examples by shaking their pipes.
The Canadian Institute and the Origins of the Ontario Archaeological Tradition, 1851-1884
Volume: OA34
Year: 1980
Author: KILLAN, G.
Page Range: 3 – 16
Abstract: Although David Boyle (1842-1911) is credited with fully developing the Classificatory-Descriptive Period of Ontario archaeology after 1884, his precursors at the Canadian Institute laid the foundation for a scientific archaeological tradition in Ontario. Between 1851 and 1884 Institute members tried to replace the purely speculative and antiquarian approach to archaeology by articulating a scientific rationale for the emerging discipline, by introducing advanced methods and procedures, and by opening the pages of the Canadian Journal to those influences giving rise to a scientific archaeology on both sides of the Atlantic. The first attempts to establish an Ontario archaeological museum and to undertake site inventory also occurred in this period.
The Satchell Complex in Ontario: A Perspective from the Ausable Valley
Volume: OA34
Year: 1980
Author: KENYON, I. T.
Page Range: 17 – 43
Abstract: The Satchell complex is characterized by the presence of lanceolate and straight stemmed bifaces (blades may range from narrow to broad) that are made of greywacke, a coarse grained rock. In Ontario, stemmed greywacke bifaces are almost invariably associated with chert points of similar forms. The Ontario distribution of Satchell is confined to the extreme southwestern portion of the province; the complex is also found in adjacent areas of the United States. In this paper the greywacke bifaces are considered to be Late Archaic with a temporal placement sometime in the second millenium B.C. Satchell may be a local expression of the widely spread Broadpoint horizon. In particular, comparisons can be made between Satchell and such ‘Broadpoint’ complexes as the Batten Kill phase of New York, Stalling’s Island of the American Southeast, and the Titterington phase of Illinois and Missouri. For the Ontario Satchell, the size of the straight stemmed points is conjectured to change through time: the broad-bladed forms, which may be patterned after the broadpoints of the Soumeastern United States, may be earlier than the narrow-bladed forms. The lanceolate bifaces have a more restricted spatial distribution than the stemmed points; the lanceolates appear to be most common in the American Midwest and the south-central Great Lakes. Many of the Ontario greywacke lanceolates have a distinctive use-wear pattern on their tips suggesting they may not be projectile points but some other tool type.
The MacGillivray Site: A Laurel Tradition Site in Northwestern Ontario
Volume: OA34
Year: 1980
Author: DAWSON, K. C. A.
Page Range: 45 – 68
Abstract: This report describes and analyzes excavated materials from a habitation and mound site in northwestern Ontario located southwest of Thunder Bay. The habitation is assigned to the late Initial Woodland period (circa A.D. 700 to A.D. 900), while the mound predated the habitation and is assigned to the early Initial Woodland period (circa 200 B.C. to A.D. 300). The site was occupied by a semi-distinct group of Laurel peoples who had southwestern affinities in contrast to the northeastern Ontario Laurel sites where southeastern affinities prevailed.
Ash Rapids Corded: Newly Defined Late Woodland Ceramics from Northwestern Ontario
Volume: OA34
Year: 1980
Author: REID, C. S., & G. RAJNOVICH
Page Range: 69 – 86
Abstract: A newly defined prehistoric ceramic form is identified on 11 sites in the Lake of the Woods – Rainy Lake area of northwestern Ontario, characterized by thin-walled vertical intertwined cord impressed (or cord-wrapped paddle) vessels with short straight rims, unthickened lips, obtuse-angled necks and gently rounded shoulders. The vessel from the type site, Ash Rapids West (DjKq-5), is radiocarbon dated at A.D. 1230 ± 125 and the ceramics have affinites to several previously described types from the Plains and from woodland areas adjacent to the Plains. The name Ash Rapids Corded is assigned on the basis of the type site and the most distinctive visual attribute.
Janus and Other Multiple-Image Iroquoian Pipes
Volume: OA35
Year: 1981
Author: MATHEWS, Z. P.
Page Range: 3 – 22
Abstract: An analysis of five types of multiple-image Iroquoian smoking pipes, including the ‘Janus’ types, indicates that all are related conceptually. The distributional data reveals that these pipes appear from the 12th through the 17th centuries and are found in small numbers in the territory of all northern Iroquoian groups. It is suggested that these pipes could have been the property of religious specialists.
Northern Iroquoian Maize Remains
Volume: OA35
Year: 1981
Author: SYKES, C. M.
Page Range: 23 – 33
Abstract: Results of the analysis of maize remains from three archaeological sites in southern Ontario provide the first detailed description of late-period Indian maize in the province. This data and the scant earlier evidence is considered in light of its importance to the introduction, character and development of maize cultivation in Ontario.
Rich Man, Poor Man, Dead Man, Thief: The Dispersal of Wealth in 17th Century Huron Society
Volume: OA35
Year: 1981
Author: RAMSDEN, P. G.
Page Range: 35 – 40
Abstract: In 17th century Huron society, the distribution of material items associated with the fur trade (beaver pelts, wampum and European metal goods) was a prominent feature of certain ritualised activities, including burial, gambling, dream fulfillment and crime payment. This paper suggests that these activities became elaborated during the historic period because they were capable of redistributing or eliminating new forms and quantities of wealth which would otherwise have had a socially disruptive effect.
A Radiocarbon Date on a Midewiwin Scroll from Burntside Lake, Ontario
Volume: OA35
Year: 1981
Author: KIDD, K. E.
Page Range: 41 – 43
Abstract: Contrary to the earlier view that the Midewiwin Society among the central Algonkians postdates European contact, a radiocarbon date on a Midewiwin birchbark scroll suggests that this phenomenon may in fact date from the precontact period.
The Glenn Site: An Historic Cheveux Relevés Campsite on Flowerpot Island, Georgian Bay, Ontario
Volume: OA35
Year: 1981
Author: WRIGHT, J. V.
Page Range: 45 – 59
Abstract: The Glen site is an early historic Cheveux Relevés (Algonquian) fall fishing campsite. Although sharing the same ceramic tradition with adjacent Iroquoain groups, there are good quantitative and qualitative bases for distinguishing this and other Algonquian sites from contemporaneous Iroquoian components.
The Wabinosh River Site and the Laurel Tradition in Northwestern Ontario
Volume: OA36
Year: 1981
Author: DAWSON, K. C. A.
Page Range: 3 – 46
Abstract: A review of the radiocarbon dates from Northern Ontario and adjacent regions in Manitoba and Minnesota suggests a late northern instrusion of the Laurel Tradition, (ca. 200 B.C.), in contrast to earlier interpretations of independent development commencing about 700 B.C. Based on recoveries from the multi-phase Wabinosh River Laurel Tradition site on Lake Nipigon, a small group composed of residual Archaic peoples and new peoples from the south can be identified as the first carriers of the Laurel Tradition. This early phase, ca. 200 B.C. to A.D. 500, is characterized by pseudo-scallop shell ceramics and sparse Archaic-like lithics. It was followed by a late phase which can be divided into two: (1) an era of expanded population marked by diverse Laurel ceramics, ca. A.D. 500 to A.D. 900, and (2) an era of reduced population and coalescence with a later Terminal Woodland period Blackduck Tradition, ca. A.D. 900 to A.D. 1200. The Blackduck Tradition carriers are seen as a new, but related, southern population who rapidly spread across Northwestern Ontario coincident with climatic amelioration ca. A.D. 700 to A.D. 900. They are seen as a distinct group ofAlgonkian-speakers known in historic times as Northern Ojibwa.
Indian Hills (33W04): A Protohistoric Assistaeronon Village in the Maumee River Valley of Northwestern Ohio
Volume: OA36
Year: 1981
Author: STOTHERS, D. M.
Page Range: 47 – 56
Abstract: The Indian Hills site is a very late protohistoric village, radiocarbon dated to A.D. 1610, that is the type site for the Indian Hills phase of the Sandusky Tradition. It is suggested, in part on the basis of similarities of the shell tempered ceramic assemblages at Indian Hills and the Hamilton site in the Niagara peninsula of Ontario, that the Indian Hills phase may represent the enigmatic Assistaeronon who are reported to have been at war with the Neutral Indians during the protohistoric period. The Sandusky Tradition connects the prehistoric and later protohistoric archaeological assemblages of the region and indicates a developing cultural continuum into early historic times. The integration of the archaeological data from the west ends of Lake Erie and Ontario with the ethnohistoric information derived from early maps and documentation strongly suggests that the Indian Hills site, and the other components of this phase, represents the historic Assistaeronon (Mascouten), while the Whittlesey tradition, in the region of the south central Lake Erie shore, probably represents the Ontarraronon (Kickapoo), two very closely associated central Algonquian groups of the early historic period.
Distribution of Iroquoian Discoidal Clay Beads
Volume: OA36
Year: 1981
Author: PENDERGAST, J. F.
Page Range: 57 – 72
Abstract: Following an extensive search of the literature involving 147 Iroquois sites, representing the whole of Iroquoia, seeking information on the distribution of discoidal clay beads, the author concludes that these beads are a St. Lawrence Iroquoian trait. It is shown that they originate in the late prehistoric era and persist into the protohistoric period. On Huron/Petun sites they are frequently in association with St. Lawrence Iroquoian pottery and sometimes with European material. It is concluded that the external distribution of these St. Lawrence Iroquoian beads, restricted as they are to the Huron/Petun area, supports further the hypothesis that the St. Lawrence Iroquoians were destroyed by the Huron/Petun.
The Parkhill Complex and Eastern Great Lakes Paleo Indian
Volume: OA37
Year: 1982
Author: ROOSA, W. B., & D. B. DELLER
Page Range: 3 – 15
Abstract: The Parkhill complex is one of several fluted point complexes in the eastern Great Lakes area. Diagnostic Parkhill complex artifacts include Barnes fluted points and knives. A sequence for the manufacture, use and reuse of the various subtypes of Barnes points and knives is suggested. Finds at the Parkhill site are summarized. The relationship of the type site with other Parkhill complex sites is briefly examined.
Human Skeletal Remains from Plum Point and Bio-Temporal Identification in Ontario Prehistory
Volume: OA37
Year: 1982
Author: CYBULSKI, J. S.
Page Range: 17 – 28
Abstract: Two individuals, one represented by a skull, a mandible, and some postcranial parts, the other by fragmentary jaws and teeth, were collected around the turn of the century from a site on the Lower Rideau Lake in eastern Ontario and stored in the Perth Museum. Artifacts in the museum suggested a late Initial Woodland Period temporal affiliation but original documents did not indicate that the artifacts were actually collected with the bones. Osteological tests based on comparative cranial morphology and dental pathology tend to support the temporal assignment suggested by the artifacts. The tests are founded on earlier perceived morphological dichotomies between Initial Woodland and later populations of Ontario and on an apparent pattern of seriation in the incidence of dental caries related to temporal change in these populations from a subsistence based on hunting and gathering to one based on agriculture.
The Clans and Phratries of the Huron
Volume: OA37
Year: 1982
Author: STECKLEY, J.
Page Range: 29 – 34
Abstract: An entry from a mid-17th century French-Huron-Onondaga dictionary is used as the basis for asserting that there were eight clans of the Huron at the time of early contact. When that entry is compared with an 18th century Wyandot document, it is also suggested that the Huron had three phratries at that time.
Gunspalls from the Hudson’s Bay Company New Severn Post (1685-1690)
Volume: OA37
Year: 1982
Author: CHRISTIANSON, D.
Page Range: 35 – 40
Abstract: As analysis of the gunspalls from the New Severn post and period documentation indicates a French origin for these early Hudson’s Bay Company gunflints.
Holocene Environment of a Fossil Bison from Kenora, Ontario
Volume: OA37
Year: 1982
Author: McANDREWS, J. H.
Page Range: 41 – 51
Abstract: Sediment found within a buried bison skull has been radiocarbon dated at 4,850 ± 60 years B.P. Pollen and plant macrofossil analysis shows that the animal died in a shallow pond surrounded by a pine-poplar woodland. A dated pollen diagram from nearby Hayes Lake shows this Hypsithermal woodland habitat to have existed from 9,200 to 3,600 years B.P. Although no artifacts were found with the skull or skeleton it is possible that bison was a prey animal of the late Paleo-Indian and Archaic people of northwestern Ontario.
Hi-Lo Materials from Southwestern Ontario
Volume: OA38
Year: 1982
Author: ELLIS, C. J., & D. B. DELLER
Page Range: 3 – 22
Abstract: Recent research conducted on Hi-Lo sites in Southwestern Ontario provides support for Hi-Lo’s placement as a Late Paleo-Indian/Early Archaic manifestation. The variation in Hi-Lo point morphology and the known tool forms associated with Hi-Lo are discussed. It is suggested that Hi-Lo can be conceived of as a Great Lakes area representative of Tuck’s Dalton Horizon.
An Engraved Slate Point from Southern Ontario
Volume: OA38
Year: 1982
Author: JOHNSTON, R. B.
Page Range: 23 – 29
Abstract: A consideration and interpretation of a slate point bearing apparently notational engraving suggests that it may have been associated with Late Archaic ceremonialism.
A Refinement of Historic Neutral Chronologies: Evidence from Shaver Hill, Christianson and Dwyer
Volume: OA38
Year: 1982
Author: FITZGERALD, W. R.
Page Range: 31 – 46
Abstract: The Christianson and Robertson village sites, and their associated cemeteries Shaver Hill and Dwyer, respectively, as sequential occupations represent a continuum of historic Neutral Iroquoian occupation between circa A.D. 1615 and 1651 along the upper Spencer Creek northwest of Hamilton, Ontario. Trends in European goods on these sites can then be identified, and in light of the approximate 1619-1626 date of issue of the Shaver Hill rosary medallion can, in conjunction with fur trade events, provide more precise dates than previously possible. The earlier occupation, Christianson and Shaver Hill, has been assigned a duration of occupation between circa 1615 and 1632, while the subsequent upstream occupation, Robertson and Dwyer, was in existence between circa 1632 and 1651. The dates assigned to these assemblages will provide a basis for the reevaluation of dates assigned to other historic components.
Recognizing Intact Iroquoian Domestic Refuse: The Draper Case
Volume: OA38
Year: 1982
Author: HAYDEN, B.
Page Range: 47 – 50
Abstract: Questions about validity of the interpretations at the Draper site have been raised on the grounds of possible contamination of deposits within structures. In this article criteria are set out which allow analysts to determine whether significant ‘contamination’ has occurred. These criteria include: relative artifact densities in relation to potential contaminant features; the location of refuse concentrations in relation to walls and corners; the clustering of artifacts around hearths; and the clustering of ‘high-status’ artifacts and their association with unusually intense feature remains. Using these criteria, the Structure 2 artifacts at Draper are shown to be relatively uncontaminated, and conclusions based on their analysis are indicated
Spatial Relativism and Perception: The Site Distribution of Western New York
Volume: OA38
Year: 1982
Author: ZUBROW, E.
Page Range: 51 – 68
Abstract: The spatial context of archaeological sites and artifacts is fundamental to all archaeology. This paper considers the methodological problems inherent in archaeological maps and their interpretation. It shows that different archaeological interpretations can be legitimately drawn from the same set of spatial data depending upon the observer’s location as exemplified by the spatial distribution of some 1500 prehistoric sites in western New York
Cummins Site: A Late Palaeo-Indian (Plano) Site at Thunder Bay, Ontario
Volume: OA39
Year: 1983
Author: DAWSON, K. C. A.
Page Range: 3 – 31
Abstract: The paper presents the results of a preliminary investigation of the Cummins site (Dcji-1), an extensive quarry workshop and habitation of the Plano period, circa 7000 BC, located on a glacial beach at Thunder Bay on the north shore of Lake Superior. Test excavations that uncovered debitage concentrations, hearth and pit features are described together with over 2,000 recoveries. Artifacts from the area suggest an occupation extending over several millennia and a gradual change from a specialized to a general hunting, fishing and gathering economy. A cremation yielded the earliest burial date thus far in Ontario of 6530 BC.
Dog Sacrifices Among the Algonkian Indians: An Example from the Frank Bay Site
Volume: OA39
Year: 1983
Author: BRIZINSKI, M., & H. SAVAGE
Page Range: 33 – 40
Abstract: This paper discusses the importance of six dog bundles from the Frank Bay site in Ontario. It is suggested that the dogs were sacrificed during an Algonkian feast around AD 1000.
Historic Neutral Iroquois Faunal Utilization
Volume: OA39
Year: 1983
Author: PREVEC, R., & W. C. NOBLE
Page Range: 41 – 56
Abstract: Analysed faunal material from 6 historic Neutral Iroquois sites, spanning a period of approximately 100 years (AD 1540-1651), is synthesized for the first time. The results provide information not only about the dietary and hunting preferences of the Neutral Iroquois, but also about trade during the 16th and early 17th centuries and the distribution of local species. Faunal differences are also noted between town and village settlements. Furthermore, an artifact classification is offered for worked antler, bone, teeth and shell found on historic Neutral sites. Comparison of the historic Neutral fauna with that from contemporaneous Petun sites reveals significant differences, particularly with reference to the European demand for beaver fur.
Statistical Testing of Surface Collected and Excavated Faunal Samples from the Plater-Martin Site
Volume: OA39
Year: 1983
Author: HAMALAINEN, P.
Page Range: 57 – 64
Abstract: Three faunal samples from the Plater-Martin site (BdHb-1) were compared using the Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient and the Student’s t Test. Two of the samples were surface collected and the third was excavated. As far as the mammalian, avian and reptilian remains were concerned, the surface collected samples compared favourably with the excavated sample. A probable explanation for the poor representation of fish remains in the surface collected samples is the collection technique.
Biological Affinities Among Ohio and Great Lakes Archaic Amerindians: A Multivariate Analysis Based on Cranial Morphology
Volume: OA40
Year: 1983
Author: SCHNEIDER, K. N., & P. W. SCIULLI
Page Range: 3 – 8
Abstract: Discontinuous traits of the cranium are used in a comparison of six Archaic skeletal samples from the Great Lakes region and six northern Ohio Late Archaic (Glacial Kame) skeletal samples. The Smith-Grewal measure of divergence with the Freeman-Tukey transformation is used to establish biologic distances among the populations represented by the samples. Principal coordinates analysis is used as a clustering method. This study proposes a provisional hypothesis concerning the biologic relationships of these populations. The Ohio Late Archaic samples and the Great Lakes Archaic samples demonstrate short relative intra-regional biologic distance, and the Ohio Late Archaic samples show affinity to two Great Lakes Archaic samples. Port au Choix and Cole Gravel Pit. Lack of temporal and spatial continuity between these two major clusters suggest limited genetic exchange and a possible ancestor-descendant relationship. In addition, significant biologic variation exists at a local level for each cluster, thus these data do not support the establishment of a ‘physical type’ for either the Ohio or Great Lakes samples.
Demographic Parameters of the Uxbridge Ossuary Population
Volume: OA40
Year: 1983
Author: PFEIFFER, S.
Page Range: 9 – 14
Abstract: The minimum number, probable age and sex of individuals included in the Uxbridge Ossuary (BbGt-1) has been determined using dental and pelvic indicators. The site is in southern Ontario and C14 dated to AD 1490 ± 80. The minimum of 457 individuals include 145 (32%) that are immature, aged by dental emergence. The adult pelvic material yielded age-at-death information, but the skewed sex ratio (1.5:1.0), cremation and evidence of particular infectious disease factors make these values suspect. It is argued that extensive paleodemographic reconstruction would be inappropriate.
The People of the Ball Site
Volume: OA40
Year: 1983
Author: MELBYE, J.
Page Range: 15 – 36
Abstract: The biological status of the first six burials from the Ball Site, a Late Ontario Iroquois site, are summarized. While ossuaries have produced large samples, these are largely disarticulated ‘populations of bones’ rather than populations of people. The presence of relatively complete and articulated skeletons is important for setting and testing standards for ossuary studies. The data are presented as completely as possible because the skeletons have been reburied according to the agreement with the local native band council. The bases of determining age, sex, stature, bone pathology, dental status, dental attrition, caries, periodontal infection and abscessing are presented for each burial. Metrical and morphological observations of adults are presented and discussed. A new case of spinal tuberculosis is tentatively diagnosed. Relatively new methods of age determination of subadults by diaphyseal length and of adults by dental attrition are attempted. These latter two methods are probably ‘population specific’ to the Ontario Iroquois.
Burial Patterns at the Ball Site
Volume: OA40
Year: 1983
Author: KNIGHT, D., & J. MELBYE
Page Range: 37 – 48
Abstract: The archaeological context of six burials from the Ball Site, a Late Ontario Iroquois site, is described, and the physical anthropological data are integrated. Ethnohistoric and archaeological data are reviewed to present two hypotheses regarding mortuary customs surrounding sub-floor interments in the protohistoric period.
St. Lawrence Iroquoian Burial Practices
Volume: OA40
Year: 1983
Author: PENDERGAST, J. F.
Page Range: 49 – 56
Abstract: The paucity of graves on the Roebuck prehistoric St Lawrence Iroquoian village, relative to the estimated peak population of approximately 2,000 over a 12 to 20 year life span, is noted. The preponderance of females in the adult grave population is examined and explanations are suggested to account for the very few adult male graves present.
Research Into the Paleo-Indian Occupations of Ontario: A Review
Volume: OA41
Year: 1984
Author: STORCK, P. L.
Page Range: 3 – 28
Abstract: Research into the Early Paleo-Indian (fluted point) cultures in Ontario has virtually exploded in the past 15 years. Two long-term projects initiated in the early 1970’s and a number of shorter projects conducted over the last seven years have identified several futed point complexes and produced information on lithic technology, community and settlement patterns, the direction and perhaps seasonal aspects of band movements, and ‘special activities’ of possibly a ceremonial nature. Research into Late Paleo-Indian or Plano cultures has continued at a steady pace in northwestern Ontario since the pioneering work of MacNeish in the 1950’s. As a result, a major Late Paleo-Indian manifestation – the Lakehead Complex – has been identified. In southern Ontario, interest in Late Paleo-Indian occupations has increased within the past five to seven years with the discovery of Agate Basin and Hell Gap related material representing population movements ultimately derived from the Plains.
Obsidian Sources in Ontario Prehistory
Volume: OA41
Year: 1984
Author: GODFREY-SMITH, D. I., & N. HAYWOOD
Page Range: 29 – 35
Abstract: Several obsidian artifacts recovered from archaeological sites in northwestern Ontario were subjected to X-ray fluorescence analysis. The results of the analysis indicate that these specimens come from Obsidian Cliff in Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, and from a second source which is yet to be identified but is likely located near the Yellowstone source.
Some Woodland Radiocarbon Dates from Northwestern Ontario with Comments on Significance
Volume: OA41
Year: 1984
Author: REID, C. S.
Page Range: 37 – 44
Abstract: The results of 15 radiocarbon analyses from Middle and Late Woodland sites in northwestern Ontario, some previously unpublished, are presented with interpretations. These dates and interpretations summarize all that have been received by the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture since the establishment of a regional archaeological office in northwestern Ontario.
The Zander Site: Paleo-Indian Occupation of the Southern Holland Marsh Region of Ontario
Volume: OA41
Year: 1984
Author: STEWART, A.
Page Range: 45 – 79
Abstract: The Zander site (BaGv-7) is a Paleo-Indian occupation of the main strandline of glacial Lake Algonquin at the south end of the former Schomberg embayment, south of modern Lake Simcoe. Fluted and lanceolate point fragments indicate the site was used during both the Early and Late Paleo-Indian periods. The artifact assemblage, which is diverse in raw materials and numbers of formal tool types, consists of about 200 tools and 2000 pieces of debitage which were recovered from the plough zone in two archaeological areas. A large proportion of basal point fragments in addition to bifaces and end scrapers suggest a hunting camp where the rearmament and maintenance of weapons and the processing of game were important activities throughout the period of Paleo-Indian occupation.
Parker Festooned Pottery at the Lawson Site: Trace-Element Analysis
Volume: OA42
Year: 1984
Author: TRIGGER, B. G., L. YAFFE, D. DAUTET, H. MARSHALL & R. PEARCE
Page Range: 3 – 11
Abstract: Trace-element analysis clearly distinguishes Iroquoian-style pottery from the proto-Neutral Lawson site, in Middlesex County, Ontario, from Parker Festooned sherds from the Parker site, Lambton County, Ontario, which belongs to the Central Algonkian Sandusky Tradition. Parker Festooned sherds from the Lawson site form a third chemical grouping. This suggests that most of this pottery may have been brought to the Lawson site from one or more Sandusky Tradition sites rather than having been made locally by captive Algonkian women.
Was That Middleport Necked or Pound Oblique ? A Study in Iroquoian Ceramic Typology
Volume: OA42
Year: 1984
Author: LENNOX, P., & I. KENYON
Page Range: 13 – 26
Abstract: Difficulties encountered in the classification of a ceramic assemblage from the Late Middleport Wiacek site, Simcoe County, Ontario, indicate inadequacies in the ceramic type definitions for this period, such that various interpretations of the type boundaries have led to the incomparability of data reported by various researchers. Progressive simplification of the type array produces results that are internally consistent and at least as acceptable as more complex analyses.
A History of Archaeology in Northern Ontario to 1983 with Bibliographic Contributions
Volume: OA42
Year: 1984
Author: DAWSON, K. C. A.
Page Range: 27 – 92
Abstract: The sequence and nature of the archaeological history of northern Ontario is arbitrarily divided into three periods: Early, 1850-1940, characterized by nonprofessional activities; Middle, 1941-1966, characterized by increased professional involvement; and Late, 1967-1983, characterized by extensive systematic professional research. The history does not differ from other areas of North America except that scholarly study commenced later in time. Developments in each period are discussed, including work on the extensive pictographic record and late historic period sites, and the bibliographic record cited.
An Archaeological Examination of the Baumann Site: A 15th Century Settlement in Simcoe County, Ontario
Volume: OA43
Year: 1985
Author: STOPP, M. P
Page Range: 3 – 29
Abstract: During six weeks of excavation at this site in 1980 one midden was tested and the locations of three others were confirmed. A single longhouse was partially excavated and revealed a rich feature assemblage. Possible evidence of a second longhouse was found in a test trench south of House 1. A C14 date (N.M.C. 1222) of 490 ± 60 B.P. (A.D. 1460) was obtained from a sample of charred wood. An analysis of rimsherds revealed seven attributes which may be characteristic of the 15th century ceramic assemblage in Huronia.
Ontario Paleo-Indians and Caribou Predation
Volume: OA43
Year: 1985
Author: PEERS, L.
Page Range: 31 – 40
Abstract: For some time it has been known that the Paleo-Indians of western North America subsisted primarily upon large game. In the Northeast Paleo-Indians are thought to have been dependent upon caribou, an hypothesis which is suggested by a large body of indirect evidence but very little direct evidence. This paper reviews the question of the presumed association of Paleo-Indians and caribou in southern Ontario, concluding that the Paleo-Indian/caribou theory is supported by a substantial body of indirect evidence but requires direct archaeological evidence to establish it conclusively.
Archaeology at the Marmora Ironworks: Results of the 1984 Field Season
Volume: OA43
Year: 1985
Author: GRAFFAM, G.
Page Range: 41 – 53
Abstract: Although the Marmora Ironworks failed repeatedly as an economic venture in the 1820-1860 period, it was an important early attempt at industrial development. An outline of the documentary sources and the results of preliminary archaeological investigations show that the site may contribute to a fuller understanding of the economic, technological and social history of this early period of settlement in Upper Canada.
Huron-St. Lawrence Iroquois Relations in the Terminal Prehistoric Period
Volume: OA44
Year: 1985
Author: PENDERGAST, J. F.
Page Range: 23 – 39
Abstract: An introductory summary of Jefferson County topography and archaeological history, including reference to the question of archaeological connections with Ontario, provides the background against which to examine and compare certain Jefferson County St.Lawrence Iroquois archaeological traits with their Huron counterparts. Ossuary burials, pottery, ceramic and stone pipes and bone tools from the two regions are examined in detail in the context of their similarity. A wide-ranging discussion considers viewpoints expressed by early scholars regarding the destruction of the Iroquois in Jefferson County by the Huron as well as some current hypotheses regarding the disappearance of the St.Lawrence Iroquois.
Bellamy: A Late Historic Ojibwa Habitation
Volume: OA44
Year: 1985
Author: FERRIS, N., I. KENYON, R. PREVEC & C. MURPHY
Page Range: 3 – 21
Abstract: By the end of the 18th century southwestern Ontario was occupied mainly by a large Native population, along with a few British military posts and a scattering of recently settled Loyalists. One Native group settled in the area at that time was the Ojibwa. Bellamy, occupied by an Ojibwa community around 1790, is the first late historic habitation site of this group to have been purposefully excavated in the Great Lakes region. Data recovered reflects a material culture consisting largely of European goods that both historical and archaeological evidence suggests had been incorporated into a traditional way of life characterized by a highly variable seasonal round. However, by 1830 massive changes, caused by large-scale European immigration and changing British administration policies, were to radically alter this lifestyle. Thus the Bellamy site documents a period of Ojibwa history just prior to drastic cultural changes.
A 17th Century Attigneenongnahac Village: Settlement Patterns at the Auger Site (BdGw-3)
Volume: OA44
Year: 1985
Author: LATTA, M. A.
Page Range: 41 – 54
Abstract: Settlement remains at the Auger site show features which are thought to be characteristic of the Attigneenongnahac, one of the component nations within the historic Huron confederacy. Of particular interest are: (1) village spatial organization, (2) palisade construction, (3) trash disposal practices, and (4) house construction methods including (a) end wall construction, (b) internal support posts, (c) location and nature of wall bench support structures, (d) large storage vats, and (e) internal pens.
Is the Warminster Site Champlain’s Cahiagué?
Volume: OA45
Year: 1986
Author: FITZGERALD, W. R.
Page Range: 3 – 7
Abstract: The association of the Huron Arendarhonon Warminster site with Champlain’s Cahiagué is one of Ontario archaeology’s most venerated sacred cows. A re-evaluation of the archaeological and historical evidence indicates that the initial suggestion of such a relationship was premature and subsequent support of it unfounded.
The Mackenzie Site Human Skeletal Material
Volume: OA45
Year: 1986
Author: SAUNDERS, S. R.
Page Range: 9 – 26
Abstract: Human bones were recovered on four separate occasions from the Mackenzie Site during the period 1963-1982. Although two infant burials come from a house floor, all others were found in a sandy knoll northeast of the village. These are primary and secondary burials of individuals, not a mixed ossuary bone assemblage. The collection represents a minimum of 18 persons of both sexes and all ages. Detailed descriptions of a variety of intra-individual skeletal age indicators such as dental calcification stages may be useful for developing age standards for Ontario Iroquois. Patterns of dental pathology are comparable to other synchronic Late Ontario Iroquois samples. Similarities to certain Neutral burial practices are noted.
Late Middleport Catchment Areas and the Slack-Caswell Example
Volume: OA45
Year: 1986
Author: JAMIESON, S. M.
Page Range: 27 – 38
Abstract: A flexible, generalized catchment model is constructed as an initial step towards the prediction of riverine-oriented Late Middleport site locations. This model describes site catchment areas as ovals comprised of (1) arable/potentially arable light-textured soils, (2) marsh, creek/river, and alluvium, and (3) heavy-textured soils. Catchment areas are oriented along drainage systems. Applied against detailed data from the circa AD 1380 Slack-Caswell hamlet, the model fits as well as can be expected given current knowledge. Before truly accurate locational predictions can be made, however, we must know more about man-man and man-land relationships of the Late Middleport period.
Post-Glacial Lake Nipissing Waterworn Assemblages from the Southeastern Huron Basin Area
Volume: OA45
Year: 1986
Author: ELLIS, C. J., & D. B. DELLER
Page Range: 39 – 60
Abstract: Artifacts from eight locations in the Thedford embayment area have been modified by the post-glacial waters of the Lake Nipissing phase prior to about 4000 to 4500 years ago. The location of these sites relative to other inferred pre-Nipissing strandlines in the region and detailed external artifact comparisons provide new information on the age and sequence of early preceramic occupations in the lower Great Lakes.
Iroquois Settlement at Fort Frontenac in the Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries
Volume: OA46
Year: 1986
Author: ADAMS, N.
Page Range: 5 – 20
Abstract: Cartographic and documentary sources provide abundant evidence that an Iroquois village grew up in the vicinity of Fort Frontenac during the last quarter of the seventeenth century and continued to exist throughout most of the French Period (1673-1758). This paper examines these sources to assess the village and its relationship to both the fort and prevailing Iroquois settlement patterns of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
An In-house Infant Burial at the Benson Sit
Volume: OA46
Year: 1986
Author: RAMSDEN, P. G., & S. R. SAUNDERS
Page Range: 21 – 25
Abstract: An infant burial in a longhouse at the protohistoric Benson Site in the upper Trent river valley suggests the existence in the late 16th century of some childbirth-related practices described by Sagard in Huronia one or two generations later. It also gives rise to the suggestion that not all in-house burials were expressions of a conscious burial pattern.
Growth Arrest Lines among Uxbridge Ossuary Juveniles
Volume: OA46
Year: 1986
Author: PFEIFFER, S., K. STEWART, & C. ALEX
Page Range: 27 – 31
Abstract: Immature right tibial diaphyses from the Uxbridge Ossuary (N= 66) were radiographed in order to determine the proportion which showed growth arrest (Harris) lines. Ages were estimated from diaphysis length. Measurements of bone cortex development (percent cortical area) were compared between diaphyses which show such lines and those which do not. Thirty diaphyses show one or more lines of growth arrest. Growth arrest lines are very rare among infants (1/23), most common at ages 0.5 – 8.5 years, reaching 90% of all tibiae in the 4.5 – 8.5 year category. Lines are most numerous among the affected tibiae of ages 0.5 – 4.5 years (2.7 lines/diaphysis). At ages 0.5 – 8.5 years, diaphyses with growth arrest lines have significantly lower percent cortical area than those without lines. The childhood mortality profile constructed from diaphysis length age estimates is very similar to that previously constructed from dental emergence. Thirty five percent of juvenile mortality is represented by newborns.
Models for Prehistoric Exchange in the Middle Great Lakes’ Basin
Volume: OA46
Year: 1986
Author: REID, P
Page Range: 33 – 44
Abstract: Various models of the distance decay of exchange are applied to the distributions of Kettle Point chert in Archaic, Early/Middle Woodland, and Late Woodland times, and to that of Bayport chert in late prehistoric times. The results, when not equivocal, are not dramatically different from those obtainable by more traditional methods of analysis.
Dental and Skeletal Age Determinations of Ontario Iroquois Infant burials
Volume: OA46
Year: 1986
Author: SAUNDERS, S. R., & M. W. SPENCE
Page Range: 45 – 54
Abstract: Forty articulated infant burials from nine Late Woodland Iroquoian sites were examined dentally and skeletally for their biological age estimates. We offer a detailed chart of the stages of dental calcification for all deciduous teeth of these burials which should allow future researchers narrower age estimates of infant burials, particularly fragmentary ones. Estimates of age based on diaphyseal length measurements are comparable to a larger study of Arikara skeletons but again allow finer estimates of age in the infant category. It is possible to identify a concentration of individuals who probably died at or just after the birth event. However, the existence of this ‘birth size concentration’ is probably not due to demographic factors but to human social factors and mortuary practices.
Analysis of the Clay Tobacco Pipe Assemblage From the Front Street Site (AjGu-15), Toronto
Volume: OA46
Year: 1986
Author: SMITH, R. H.
Page Range: 55 – 61
Abstract: The clay tobacco pipe assemblage consisting of 222 pieces from three seasons of archaeological investigation at the Front Street site (AjGu-15), Toronto, Ontario is analyzed. A new series of dates for the Montreal pipe industry is advanced and a use-wear analysis of the Front Street assemblage presented in an attempt to refine the way in which pipes are examined by historic archaeologists. Chronologically, the Front Street assemblage falls within the period of occupation of the Parliament Buildings and presents some interesting anomalies in terms of the origin of some of the pipes and in the number of Canadian-made pipes.
An Unusual 19th Century Portrait Pipe from Northern Ontario
Volume: OA46
Year: 1986
Author: CONWAY, T.
Page Range: 63 – 72
Abstract: An unusual portrait pipe from a 19th century site in the upper Great Lakes is described. The effigy pipe tradition is reviewed using examples from other North American sites. Evidence suggests that the pipe may be a French product that arrived by way of American trade networks. This inference is used to help interpret the origins of the 19th century component associated with the portrait pipe.
The Forgotten Beginning of Canadian Palaeo-Indian Studies, 1933-1935
Volume: OA47
Year: 1987
Author: JACKSON, L. J., H. McKILLOP, & S. WURTZBURG
Page Range: 5 – 18
Abstract: Recent archival research has revealed a forgotten early beginning of Canadian Palaeo-lndian studies. Between 1933 and 1935 Canadian material sent to Jesse Figgins of the Colorado Museum of Natural History, provided crucial data about the range of Folsom culture and the typological distinction and chronological priority of Folsom fluted over ‘Yuma’ projectile points. The Canadian geology student who alerted Figgins to this material, William J. Patterson, was chastised by local academic authorities for investigating ‘Folsom’ finds in the London, Ontario area, and his discoveries were ignored in Canada for some fifty years. These events, here examined through the eyes of Figgins and Patterson, suggest that Canada was not prepared to accept evidence of Late Pleistocene man within its borders. Ontario fluted points illustrated by Figgins in his 1934 paper, and credited to Patterson, have been re-examined from surviving specimens and photographs. This story shows how powerful are the bonds of social constraint and reactionary attitudes on scientific endeavour.
An Ethnolinguistic Look at the Huron Longhouse
Volume: OA47
Year: 1987
Author: STECKLEY, J.
Page Range: 19 – 32
Abstract: This paper examines 17th and 18th century Huron vocabulary pertaining to the longhouse in order to understand better the structure of such buildings and, to a lesser extent, the social arrangements of their inhabitants. Most of the material comes from the writings of the Jesuit missionaries, published in the Jesuit Relations and in an Ontario Archives report of 1920, as well as unpublished entries in manuscripts of French-Huron dictionaries. Other material comes from the journal of the Recollect Gabriel Sagard, and from his Huron phrasebook. The paper presents Huron terms, most of them noun roots, for various parts of the longhouse and items associated with the longhouse. The terms for house, vestibule, door, end wall, platform, mat, hearth, support poles, extension poles, longitudinal poles, central suspended poles, rafter poles, roofing poles, bark, and smoke holes are discussed.
The Martin-Bird Site
Volume: OA47
Year: 1987
Author: DAWSON, K. C. A.
Page Range: 33 – 57
Abstract: The Martin-Bird site is located southwest of Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario, adjacent to a Laurel mound. This report describes the investigations of the Terminal Woodland multi-component habitation site, the Blackduck burial, and the copper tool-making cache that were found there. The cultural material recovered is also described. Following a sparse initial Woodland occupation, the site appears to have been occupied from the 7th to the 18th centuries AD by several carriers of the Algonkian culture. This occupation was dominated by the Blackduck tradition but includes other, more southern, traditions, which suggest affinities with north-western Wisconsin.
Place Royale: A Prehistoric Site from the Island of Montreal
Volume: OA47
Year: 1987
Author: JAMIESON, J. B.
Page Range: 59 – 71
Abstract: Excavations at Place Royale, Montreal, have been carried out since 1979 according to an agreement between the city of Montreal and the Quebec Ministry of Cultural Affairs, to assist in the ongoing rehabilitation of Old Montreal, an important part of both municipal and national heritage. Since 1981, la societé d’archéologie et de numismatique de Montréal, Chateau Ramezay, has been responsible for archaeological research under the agreement. The 1983 excavations, by Mr Jean-Guy Brassard and Mr. Arnold Feast, opened an area of approximately 15 sq. m. and discovered an undisturbed prehistoric midden beneath the historic levels (Brossard, In Preparation). It was not possible to distinguish stratigraphy within the midden. In prehistoric times, this site was located near the mouth of Rivière St. Pierre, an ideal location for a fishing campsite of the kind described by Cartier in A.D. 1535. Similar sites, like Steward and Driver, are located in eastern Ontario. Most of the prehistoric artifacts fall into two categories – Middle Woodland and Late Woodland. These two components are comparable with the nearby sites of Pointe-du-Buisson and Dawson.
The Search for St. Ignace II
Volume: OA48
Year: 1988
Author: LATTA, M. A.
Page Range: 3 – 16
Abstract: The Jesuit mission of St-Ignace II was the site of one of the climactic events of early Ontario history: the murder of Jean de Brebeuf and Gabriel Lalemant by marauding New York Iroquois. Although these events have inspired eloquent descriptions from 19th and 20th century authors, as well as several movies, their location remains in doubt. A new assessment of the 17th century maps of Huronia, use of archival resources from the University of Western Ontario, and interviews with participants permit a detailed re-examination of the problem. In many ways, the search for St-Ignace II is the early history of Ontario archaeology.
Ontario Iroquoian Sweat Lodges
Volume: OA48
Year: 1988
Author: MACDONALD, R.
Page Range: 17 – 26
Abstract: The sweat lodge is an element of prehistoric and historic Iroquoian culture which has not yet been adequately studied. Historical literature provides information which, in combination with archaeological data and ethnological studies of sweat-bathing, can contribute to a more thorough understanding of this important aspect of culture. While the archaeological identification of both above-ground and semisubterranean sweat lodges is improving, much remains to be learned about them.
Fossil Cervids and Fluted Point Hunters: A Review for Southern Ontario
Volume: OA48
Year: 1988
Author: JACKSON, L. J.
Page Range: 27 – 41
Abstract: The availability of cervid species is investigated in relation to Early Palaeo-Indian site distribution in southern Ontario, Canada. Review of the literature from the 1860s on reveals that the frequency of cervids in the Ontario fossil record is surpassed only by that of the large proboscideans: mammoth and mastodon. Caribou, cervine deer, elk, stag-moose, white-tailed deer, and other species were present during interstadials after the Port Huron ice retreat about 12300 B.P. Geochronological and radiocarbon evidence shows that the ages of these fossils significantly overlap those of the Early Palaeo-Indian occupation at the time of main Lake Algonquin (11500 to 10400 B.P.). Elsewhere in the glaciated Northeast, cervids are the only large herbivores found on either Early or Late Palaeo-Indian sites. Sixty percent of Ontario cervid fossils are from physiographic regions with significant numbers of fluted point localities. Contemporaneity and co-distribution of cervid finds and Early Palaeo-Indian sites suggests a critical focus for regional investigation.
Paleodemography and Late Iroquoian Ossuary Samples
Volume: OA48
Year: 1988
Author: SUTTON, R. E.
Page Range: 42 – 50
Abstract: While Late Iroquoian ossuaries are considered to be reliable samples for palaeodemographic analysis, the ethnohistoric and archaeological records indicate that ossuaries were subject to many of the same biases as other types of burial. Our present limited knowledge of Late Iroquoian burial practices in general, and those of the Huron in particular, suggests that these varied through time and space and were not limited to interment in ossuaries.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Archaeological Surveys
Volume: OA49
Year: 1989
Author: MILLER II, C. L.
Page Range: 3 – 12
Abstract: The paper presents statistical methods for evaluating the effectiveness of archaeological survey strategies. Two main types of archaeological survey are discussed: continuous and discrete. These are compared to analogous military search situations and the mathematical solutions developed for the military problems are presented. Techniques for adapting these solutions to archaeological problems are discussed and examples are given of the methods of each type of search strategy.
The Little Ice Age and Neutral Faunal Assemblages
Volume: OA49
Year: 1989
Author: CAMPBELL, C. & CAMPBELL, I. D.
Page Range: 13 – 33
Abstract: The Neutrals and their immediate ancestors lived in southwestern Ontario from ca. AD 1100 to 1650, a period which saw a global climatic cooling episode known as the Little Ice Age (LIA), beginning ca. AD 1450. Neutral faunal assemblages at this time show a decrease in the relative frequencies of field-dwelling species (mainly woodchuck), while forest-dwellers (mainly deer) and dog increase. We suggest two explanations for this shift. One is that the LIA increased the frequency of poor crop years, thus making horticulture a less reliable subsistence strategy and compelling the Neutrals to rely more on meat. The other is that population increases resulted in the creation of more field-edge environments, thus increasing the habitat available for deer. The decline in woodchuck may have been caused by the increase in dog, bred both for food and crop-protection. These two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive.
An Ethno-Archaeological Study of Algonkian Rock Art in Northeastern Ontario, Canada
Volume: OA49
Year: 1989
Author: CONWAY, T., & CONWAY, J.
Page Range: 34 – 59
Abstract: A group of pictograph sites on Obabika Lake, one of a number of Indian rock painting sites in northern Ontario, provides a model for understanding several aspects of Algonkian aboriginal art. The pictographs were studied in 1981 and 1984 during comprehensive ethno-archaeological surveys. While many Algonkian rock art sites have been recorded in northern Ontario, few complete analyses of individual sites in their cultural setting have been published. Obabika Lake provides an opportunity for an in-depth study of a geographical cluster of rock art sites occurring in well-documented family hunting territories of an Algonkian band.