by Nicole Findlay
Digging holes in the dirt is not how most envision spending a summer holiday. But, for four Carleton students, sifting through Ontario’s past was a dream come true.
Kelly Berckmans, an anthropology major, Patrick MacIntyre, BAHons/10, Jonathan Ouellet, a Greek and Roman Studies major, and Adam Fraser, a student of in the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, participated in a seven week archaeological field school located just outside Ottawa.
Marianne Goodfellow, College of the Humanities, helped the budding archaeologists in their quest to participate on a local dig. The pre-contract Aboriginal site is located in Casselman.
Paul Thibaudeau, professional archaeologist, Intermesh Enterprises and a cross-appointed adjunct research professor of Sociology and Anthropology and the School of Industrial Design, led the team. Slated for residential development, an archaeological evaluation of the property had to be conducted to fulfill the requirements of the Ontario Heritage Act.
The property “is along the South Nation River which is a well-known trade route for Aboriginal peoples, and has likely been used for thousands of years,” said Thibaudeau. The discovery of pre-contact artifacts was an exciting surprise for the crew.
As proof, the earth offered up glimmering clear and milky white quartz tools. MacIntyre also found 20th century farm equipment buried in the strata.
For MacIntyre, the discovery of the differences between Canadian and international archaeological processes proved just as fascinating as unearthing of the detritus of previous cultures.�
Vast and mostly uninhabited much of Canada’s land has not been “artificially disturbed.” To find prospective sites, foot-deep holes are dug at regular distances to find deposit-rich land. “Discovering a site is sometimes just luck,” MacIntyre said.
The dig began with test-pitting in a grid format to determine where the team would be most likely to hit the archaeological motherlode.
“The team lines up five metres apart from each other, and a hole is dug at each five metre point,” Fraser explained. “We also lined up and walked through a plowed field to look for disruptions in the land.”
Any area boosting significant deposits was then roped off for more exhaustive investigation through excavations of one metre squares following the same interval pattern. As of result of the students’ work, two archaeological sites were uncovered on the property. They are believed to date to back 4,500 to 2,000 years ago.
Work continues at the site through this Fall to completely excavate the two sites so that the land can be cleared for development next spring.
One precious discovery was made above ground. Berckmans’ realized that the vision her six-year old self conjured as a future archaeologist was confirmed into a passion. “It is exactly what I want to do for a profession. Once I am done my BA, I am planning on going on to complete a Masters in archaeology.”