Upper Gap Archaeological Site
Transcription
Upper Gap Archaeological Site
Upper Gap Archaeological Site On Thursday, October 2, 2003, the Ontario Heritage Foundation unveiled a provincial plaque in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory to commemorate the Upper Gap Archaeological Site. The provincial plaque reads as follows: UPPER GAP ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE First Nations peoples lived in this area thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. In 1995, archaeological evidence of Iroquoian settlement was discovered nearby. The artifacts found reflected several periods of habitation dating from A.D. 700 to A.D. 1400 and included the remains of decorated ceramic pots, vessels for cooking and storage, and stone tools. Hundreds of years ago, the Iroquois lived in longhouses and practised an agricultural way of life, cultivating primarily corn, beans and squash. This site was likely chosen for its strategic location overlooking the open channel or Upper Gap between Amherst Island and Cressy Point. It provided access to Lake Ontario for fishing, hunting, gathering, ceremonial purposes and for other Aboriginal peoples. SITE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE DU PASSAGE SUPÉRIEUR Les peuples des Premières nations ont vécu dans cette région des milliers d’années avant l’arrivée des Européens. En 1995, des fouilles archéologiques ont révélé la présence d’une colonie iroquoise à proximité. Les objets découverts font état de plusieurs périodes d’habitation allant de 700 à 1400 de notre ère, et incluent des vestiges de pots en céramique décorés, de récipients pour la cuisine et l’entreposage et d’outils en pierre. Il y a des centaines d’années, les Iroquois vivaient dans de longues maisons. Ils avaient adopté un mode de vie agricole et cultivaient surtout le maïs, les haricots et la courge. Ce site a probablement été choisi pour son emplacement stratégique surplombant le chenal ouvert ou Passage supérieur, entre l’île Amherst et la pointe Cressy. Il facilitait l’accès au lac Ontario pour la pêche, la chasse, les rassemblements et les cérémonies de même que pour les autres peuples autochtones. Upper Gap Archaeological Site Featured Plaque of the Month, April 2004 WATHRORIS NE UPPER GAP NONWE Wahonnise'kenha kenh yenakerehkwe' ne Onkwehonwe ohenton kenh wahònnewe' ne Rononhwentsyakayonhronon. 1995 shiyohseròten' shahatirihwatshenri' tsi nonwe tkanatayentahkwe'. Ya'etshenryonko' ne ontakhshonha ne ayekhonnyàtahkwe' tahnon ayeyèntahkwe', oni yontstahshonha. Ne'e ki ne wahotihrori' Ratihstyen'taka'enyon tsi eh yenakerehkwe' ne Rotihrohkwayen tsi nahe 700 tsi niyore 1400 shontayohseratye'. Kanonhsehs tye'teronahkwe'. Onenhste, Onon'onhsera, tahnon Ohsahèta ya'eyentho'. Wène ki watenatiyohne' ne'e tsi onton' ne ayenonhne' tsi teyotehyonhawenhe tsi nonwe teyaoken ne Amherst tsi kawènote tahnon Cressy tsi yotonnyate. Ethòne ki ne'e wa'akorihon' ne ayontaweya'te' tsi Skanyatario ne ayonrhyohkawinehsha', ayontoratha', ayekhwarorokha' tahnon oni oya ya'tonsahontera'ne' ne Onkwehonwe. Historical background Archaeological site discovered The Upper Gap archaeological site is located on Concession 1, Lot 22, South Fredericksburg Township in Lennox and Addington County. The site was discovered in 1995 by Ontario Ministry of Transportation archaeologists during preparations for the reconstruction of Highway 33 between Bath and Conway. Highway 33 followed the transportation corridor established during the late 18th century to link the military and commercial centre at Kingston with the farming communities that developed along the north shore of the Bay of Quinte. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has recognized Highway 33 as a Heritage Highway because of the significant role it played in the development of early Ontario. The Upper Gap archaeological site is situated on the northern shoreline of Lake Ontario overlooking the open channel, or Upper Gap, between Amherst Island and Cressy Point in Prince Edward County. Archaeologists excavating the site in 1996 and 1997 found segments of five longhouses and an extensive refuse midden, and identified three main periods of occupation spanning the years between A.D. 700 and A.D. 1400. Iroquois heritage Artifacts discovered in two habitation areas helped archaeologists to identify the different cultural groups that occupied the Upper Gap archaeological site. These two habitation areas, the eastern and the western habitation areas, showed three or more occupations from the Late Woodland period. The Late Woodland period dates from A.D. 700 to A.D. 1600 and is divided into four components – the early Late Woodland period (A.D. 700 to A.D. 900), the early phase of the Ontario Iroquois Tradition (A.D. 900 to A.D. 1200), the middle phase of the Ontario Iroquois Tradition (A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1400), and the late phase of the Ontario Iroquois Tradition (A.D. 1400 to A.D. 1600). Archaeological evidence shows that the Upper Gap archaeological site was occupied during the earliest to middle phases – approximately A.D. © Ontario Heritage Foundation Page 2 of 4 Upper Gap Archaeological Site Featured Plaque of the Month, April 2004 700 to A.D. 1400. In southern Ontario, habitations of the early phase, such as those discovered at the Upper Gap archaeological site, are considered to be the ancestral heritage of later Iroquoian speaking populations. Habitation areas Excavations carried out by archaeologists in the eastern habitation area revealed ceramic material with distinct decorative motifs on the rim area of the vessel, which is characteristic of the early and middle phases of the Ontario Iroquois Tradition. The archaeologists found ceramics decorated with bands of repeating, oblique markings made with cord-wrapped sticks dating from the earliest phase of the Late Woodland period (A.D. 700 to A.D. 900). Similar ceramic styles have been found at Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County, on the lower rapids of the Moira River in Hastings County, and in northwestern New York State. Archaeologists also found pottery with tool-impressed or incised horizontal markings from the middle phase (A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1400). A single longhouse, oriented along an east-west axis, was found in the eastern habitation area. Longhouses (elongated, bark-covered structures that provided homes for extended families) were typical Iroquois dwellings and the focal point of community activities. The longhouse discovered during excavations was likely a temporary or seasonal dwelling dating from the earliest known inhabitation of the Upper Gap archaeological site (A.D. 700 to A.D. 900). During this period, the Iroquois had introduced corn to their diet. Because the crop was unreliable, hunting and fishing were still important to the Iroquois’ livelihood, which meant they often lived in temporary dwellings and migrated as food sources changed. To date, the Upper Gap archaeological site is the only early Late Woodland site in the eastern Lake Ontario region were house patterns have been identified. Segments of two longhouses from the middle phase of the Ontario Iroquois Tradition were also found in the eastern part of the Upper Gap archaeological site. The longhouses were situated beside one another along a north-south axis. During this period, the Iroquois were farming hardier varieties of corn and they began to establish larger, permanent villages. These villages often covered 10 acres of land each and were fortified with palisades for protection against attacks. Large agricultural villages from this time period have been documented in the Consecon Lake area of Prince Edward County and near the southern shore of Lake Ontario in New York State. In the western part of the site, archaeologists found two overlapping house patterns, and extensive midden (refuse area) and ceramic artifacts decorated with multiple bands of toolimpressed or stamped oblique motifs dating to the Early Ontario Iroquois Tradition. Conclusion Archaeological evidence, including the wide range of shards from ceramic vessels and the © Ontario Heritage Foundation Page 3 of 4 Upper Gap Archaeological Site Featured Plaque of the Month, April 2004 overlapping house structures, shows that for centuries Iroquoian peoples repeatedly returned to the Upper Gap archaeological site. Strategically located overlooking the eastern entrance to the Bay of Quinte and the open channel between Amherst Island and Prince Edward County, the people who lived at the Upper Gap archaeological site were favourably positioned to exchange goods and information and to maintain relationships with other Iroquoian peoples living on the north and south shores of Lake Ontario. The Ontario Heritage Foundation gratefully acknowledges the research of Carl Murphy in preparing this paper. © Ontario Heritage Foundation, 2003 © Ontario Heritage Foundation Page 4 of 4