Overview of the 1991 Field Season
by
Jean-Luc Pilon
NOGAP Archaeologist
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Summary of the 1991 Field Season
Continued archaeological site survey in the southwest Anderson Plain added a number of trails to the inventory of site types for the region in addition to previously unknown prehistoric and historic sites. Along the Mackenzie River, sites occurred in a broad range of contexts and suggest that prehistoric materials may indeed be discovered along that water course. Excavations at MlTk-2 hightened our appreciation of the importance of this locality in prehistoric times. Occupations relating to different periods and different cultural groups were identified.
Lastly, the investigation of a collapsed conical tent structure at Lure Lake, although not conclusive, may help in understanding lithic scatters which surround otherwise isolated hearth features.
| No. of Localities Examined | No. of New Sites | |
|---|---|---|
| Lure Lake | 16 | 11 |
| Vidiitshuu (lac à la Truite) | 8 | 7 |
| Travaillant River | 5 | 5 |
| Mackenzie River | 15 | 14 |
| Totals | 44 | 37 |
Objectives
The 1991 field season had five main objectives. The first was to return to MlTk-2 on Vidiitshuu (lac à la Truite). In 1987, preliminary testing of the Edge Test Unit (Pilon 1988:77-79) had yielded a modest collection which included the base of a lanceolate projectile point which bears some striking similarities to the lanceolate point base found at NbTj-3 (Hyndman Lake) in 1990 (Nolin 1991:35,Fig.16). Associated with the latter point base was a microblade industry which stands apart from known microblade production techniques. Additional work at the Edge Test Unit was planned in order to obtain a broader and hopefully comparable artifact collection, or at least one which would permit a better discussion of the relationships between the two sites.
A second goal in returning to MlTk-2 was to attempt to document some of the activities which took place outside of and adjacent to the semi-subterranean structure (Structure No.2) which was partially excavated in 1987 (Dale in Pilon 1988:64-76). The meagre recoveries, which those and other semi-subterranean structure excavations yielded, strongly suggested that artifacts were simply not often abandoned or lost within the structures or that general housekeeping activities removed these from the interiors of the features. The possibility was that materials related to the use of semi-subterranean structures might be more likely to be found in areas immediately adjacent to them.
Although tentative plans had been made to return to the Whirl Lake area in order to excavate in Area B of MjTp-3, time constraints did not permit this relocation. However, the reasons for our interest in this site remain. When discovered in 1986, a relatively broad inventory of lithic types was found in association with both calcined and non-calcined faunal remains. One of the lithic types was a piece of welded tuff identical to the material found in the Tertiary Hills of the Middle Mackenzie region (Cinq-Mars 1973; personal communication 1991). This material has been found in but a small proportion of the sites in the Anderson Plain, and usually in contexts which suggest some antiquity beyond the late prehistoric period. Thus, the preservation of faunal remains, the occurrence of welded tuff and the proximity to a semi-subterranean structure less than half a kilometre from Gordon's MjTp-1, microblade/semi-subterranean structure site (Gordon and Savage 1973) make this locality a potentially very informative one which should be investigated during the 1992 field season.
The excavations described above were aimed at acquiring site specific information and answers to particular questions stemming from previous research and analysis. These were to be complemented by archaeological site reconnaissance during the 1991 field season.
In particular, the field research undertaken since 1985 has focussed on the large lakes which form the headwaters of streams which drain the southwest Anderson Plain. Comparable work has not to date been undertaken in the lowlands adjacent to the Mackenzie River. A survey of Big and Sucker Lakes (the two long lakes lying southwest of Travaillant Lake) was planned as well as a re-examination of sites found along the Travaillant River during the Mackenzie Highway studies (Millar and Fedirchuk 1973). This survey was to be followed by an examination of various localities along the lower reaches of the Mackenzie River. In particular, is the dearth of known archaeological sites along the Mackenzie River an artifact of previous research strategies or a true reflection of the archaeological situation if not the prehistoric realities of land use patterns along the river in the past?
Lastly, in order to more properly assess the full significance of the discoveries which have been made to date in the southwest Anderson Plain, it was recognized that comparable data from immediately adjacent regions was needed. The original mandate of the NOGAP Archaeology Project was to encompass the Mackenzie Valley from Norman Wells to the Beaufort Sea (Cinq-Mars and Pilon 1991). However, financial cut-backs early on prevented us from actually carrying out the necessary work. In spite of this, and in consideration of initial work done in the Moraine Lakes area (Millar and Fedirchuk 1973), further survey was planned in that area as well as in the Marion Lake region, northwest of Fort Good Hope. As with the work which had been planned in the Whirl Lake area, time constraints did not permit this survey to take place and the 1992 field season should include this very essential comparative work.
Itinerary
The field crew was comprised of Luc Nolin (NOGAP research assistant), Michael Jackson (field assistant, Fort Good Hope), Willie Simon Modeste (field assistant, Inuvik), Robert Humen (field assistant, Calgary), Lawrence André (field assistant, Arctic Red River), R.Jane Dale (field assistant, Edmonton) and myself. With the exception of Jane Dale who joined us at the beginning of July, the crew assembled in Inuvik on the 11th of June where the field gear, which had been stored at the Inuvik Research Laboratory, was checked out and prepared for shipping to Vidiitshuu. Additional supplies and food were purchased in order to last a period of approximately six weeks.
On Friday the 14th of June, four Cessna 185 loads of gear were flown to our base camp at MlTk-2 and the following day four additional flights brought out the balance of the gear and supplies, as well as the crew of archaeologists.
Excavations were initially undertaken in areas connected to the Edge Test Unit. However, it was apparent from surface observations made during previous stays at this locality and as a result of test pitting undertaken early on during our 1991 stay, that evidence of prehistoric use occurred over most of the point on which the site is located. As a result of this apparent intensity of use, it was decided to forgo the proposed Whirl Lake work and focus efforts on the MlTk-2 locality. Along with the excavation of an additional 23.5 square metres at the Edge Test Unit (for a total of 36.5 square metres), 13 square metres were excavated at the East Point (the very tip of the point), 15.5 square metres in proximity to Structure No.2, and 16.5 square metres at the West Point area, located near the base of the point. In addition to these controled excavations, numerous shovel test pits and more structured test pits were also excavated.
On three occasions during the summer, the field crew splintered into one which remained at the MlTk-2 base camp and a second one which undertook either survey or excavations elsewhere.
The first fissioning occurred on the 24th of June when Willie Simon Modeste, Lawrence André and myself left MlTk-2 in a ZODIAC and descended the Vutediujik (Kugaluk River). MlTk-16 served as a base camp from which to undertake the site survey of Lure Lake (lac à l'Aigle). This survey resulted in the discovery of 11 new archaeological sites. The survey crew returned to MlTk-2 by way of the Vutediujik (Kugaluk River) on the 28th of June.
The arrival of Jane Dale at MlTk-2 on the 3rd of July was immediately followed by the departure of Willie Simon Modeste and myself for Andrew Lake, the first lake downstream from Travaillant Lake. Although we had intended to examine Big and Sucker Lakes, we were forced to conclude that this was essentially impossible since these bodies of water were too shallow to safely land a float plane. However, the thousands of ducks that we saw on these lakes and the stories we would subsequently hear about the muskrats there strongly suggest that these two lakes likely had some significant economic role in the past.
Two days were spent on Andrew Lake and the Travaillant River as far up as Travaillant Lake. We attempted to relocate sites identified in 1973 (Millar and Fedirchuk 1973) and we also identified five new archaeological sites.
We left Andrew Lake on the morning of the 6th of July and two days later arrived at the mouth of the Travaillant River where he set up a temporary camp, from which we examined a number of localities in the vicinity of the mouth of the Travaillant River. Our stay there lasted until the morning of the 10th of July when we descended the Mackenzie River as far as the mouth of Dachan chuu gehnjiga (Tree River). We had hoped to be able to ascend the Tree River as far as the first fork in order to try to locate a fish camp thought to have existed there. Unfortunately beaver had barred the route less than 5 kilometres from the mouth and the low water in the stream made the prospects of further travel up Dachan chuu gehnjiga seem remote. We left Tree River on July 13th to relocate ourselves at the mouth of Pierre Creek where we stayed until the 15th of July. The night of the 15th was spent 3 kilometres or so up the Rengleng River and our arrival at Inuvik was during the early morning hours of July 17th.
During this trip along the Mackenzie River, 14 new archaeological sites were recorded and two previously known sites were revisited.
The survey crew returned to MlTk-2 on the 19th of July. Two days later, Luc Nolin (who had been supervising work at MlTk-2 since the beginning of the field season), Robert Humen, Lawrence André and myself left for Lure Lake where we excavated a collapsed tent structure a few metres from a semi-subterranean feature. The excavations at MlTk-2 from this point on were supervised by Jane Dale.
On July 27, the Lure Lake crew returned to MlTk-2 where excavations were completed and preparations made for the final relocation of the entire field crew to Inuvik on the 31st of July. Field equipment was sorted, packed and stored at the Inuvik Research Laboratory. The crew officially disbanded on August 3rd with the departure of the southern crew members.
Inclement weather prevented me from joining Patricia Sutherland in Tuktoyaktuk where I had anticipated accompanying her to Hutchinson Bay for an examination of a site found there by R.J. LeBlanc in 1987. Instead, I went on to Yellowknife on the 5th of August and returned to my home in Aylmer, Québec on the 7th.
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank the entire field party for the quality of their work and the pleasant circumstances of our small summer society. The crew consisted of Lawrence André of Arctic Red River, Michael Jackson of Fort Good Hope, Willie Simon Modeste of Inuvik and Robert Humen of Calgary. Luc Nolin, research assistant with the NOGAP Archaeology Project supervised most of the excavations and was aided in this task by Jane Dale of Red Deer.
Additionally, I am grateful to a wide range of individuals whose readiness to help, and the kind manner in which this help was offered, make research in the Mackenzie Delta a fulfilling experience: Wally Firth-CBC Inuvik, Gary White, Les Kutny and Mabel Logan-Inuvik Research Laboratory, Cece and Carol Rilling of Inuvik Air Charter, Margaret Donovan of the Mackenzie Delta Tribal Council, Chief Peter Ross-Arctic Red River and Don Baryluk-Northern Stores Inuvik.
Lastly, and by no means the least, I would like to extend my warm thanks to my colleagues at the Archaeological Survey of Canada and especially to Sylvie Ledoux who worked out many interesting solutions to bureaucratic difficulties which arose on more than one occasion.
