The Prehistory of the Upper Churchill River Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada

Description

Archaeological survey work in the upper Churchill River basin indicates that the story of human occupation in this region was unlike that of the Canadian Shield. That impression has been substantiated by the excavation of two stratified campsites (the Chartier sites) and with access to two valuable surface collections with site provenience. The two campsites covered the period from AD 700 to the Historic Period. Using the 246 projectile points collected and a sample of the ceramics, the rudimentary local sequence based on stratigraphy was expanded to a tentative chronology spanning most of the Holocene. These data provide a strong indication of the vitality of the cultural dynamics in this part of the boreal forest over a considerable period. They show that there was a late prehistoric plains occupation, followed by the westerly movement of the Cree from the middle Churchill River region very late in prehistoric times.