Early History: Aboriginal Settlements

In 1980 an archaeological survey was conducted on the western portion of Lac Seul. Sixty-four sites were surveyed which yielded over 100 archaeological finds.  Artifacts were identified as coming from the Archaic, Laurel and Blackduck or Selkirk periods.

From earliest evidenced times, this area was at the hub of a mid-continental crossroads.  Because all travel was by canoe, people traveling from the Gulf of Mexico or the eastern part of the continent had to travel through this area to reach Hudson Bay or Great Slave Lake.  Trading was an integral part of the cultures of those who inhabited North America and is evidenced by artifacts that have been found in this area.  Copper from Lake Superior, marine shells from the Gulf of Mexico and volcanic glass from Mt. St. Helen in Washington have all been found at excavated sites in Northwestern Ontario.

In the post-ice age era, the oldest cultures were the Paleo Indians, whose presence dates back to 7000 B.C. The next group of peoples were the Archiac Culture which date from 5000 B.C. to roughly 2000 B.C. These people developed the ability to work metal, primarily copper, into spear points and tools through a process of cold hammering, a significant advancement in any culture. They were the forerunners to the Laurel people which predominated the area until 100 A.D.  Their successors were the Blackduck and Selkirk Indians which were the antecedents to the First Nation people that inhabit the area today.

One of the most visible signs of the ancient cultures are the pictograph sites which dot rocks and vertical cliff faces around many lakes in this area and throughout Northwestern Ontario. These are forms of rock art which were painted by various Aboriginal groups and are considered sacred sites.  The paintings are done in red ochre (haemetite) mixed possibly with a “glue” from sturgeon fish and are bonded so well to the rock that some have remained visible for more than 500 years. There meanings are a mystery.  As one Ojibway elder stated, “They are visions in the quest for medicine.”

Anyone visiting these sites should first educate themselves as to how to treat these sites. Please do not touch the pictographs as sweat from hands can instigate erosion. The sites have to be treated with respect  - they are the religious shrines of the Aboriginal people.  People should leave an offering when they visit, be it tobacco or some other meaningful item.

As civilization advanced slowly across the country, the way of life changed for the Native people. Change came slowly at first, only as fast as a canoe could be paddled, but the tremendous impact of a European culture found its way down every stream and river, into inaccessible lakes, into the backwoods and eventually to Obe-She-Ko-Ka, Lake of the White Pine Narrows -  Lac Seul.

At first this civilization, brought by the fur traders, represented an easier way of life for the Native people.  Iron tools, knives, hatchets and guns, speeded up production.  Eventually, as these tools and the influence of the European fur traders became more predominate, the traditional way of life of all the Aboriginal people changed.