A Fall in the Fall — Vesselquest

In early September of 2014 Clarence Surette, my friend and the anthropology lab technician at Lakehead University, had driven from Thunder Bay to help me dig interior test pits on my research site. The site is located on Lac Seul which is a large inland lake that was flooded in 1934 to create a reservoir for the generation of hydro-electric power. Consequently, there is a tremendous amount of erosion to the shoreline of the lake which causes significant damage to archaeological sites on an annual basis. Cultural material is exposed and washed away at a high rate as the shoreline erodes.

With this in mind, our strategy was to dig test pits into the early afternoon and then spend the remaining part of the day surveying sites locate along the eroded shoreline. At the site designated as EaKa-9, a section of shoreline not previously visited was examined and a trihedral adze was discovered by Clarence. This was a great find, but it occurred late in the day with light conditions getting poor, so we decided to return to the site on the following day.

Clarence Surette displaying the trihedral adze discovery.

The next day we were back at the site walking the muddy, clay shoreline in our rubber boots. At the water’s edge, I stepped onto a rock that happened to be coated with a thin but imperceptible layer of algae. In a split second, the combination of mud coated boot treads, a slippery rock and forward momentum launched me into the cold September water. Fortunately, the water level was only chest deep and I was still wearing my lifejacket from the boat ride to the site. The shoreline slope was quite steep and comprised of algae covered rocks but I was able to slowly crawl up and out of the lake totally soaked and with water filled boots.

I emerged from the water on my hands and knees carefully scrutinizing the ground to avoid slipping back into the lake. In doing so I noticed what appeared to be a dark, curved piece of tree bark perched on the rocky shoreline. Except, this chunk of “bark” had a design on it and when I picked it up I realised it was actually a big piece of pottery. The sounds of my splash in the lake had drawn Clarence over to see if I was okay. He observed me lifting up the large pottery sherd and I showed him the artifact that had just been discovered. As we both looked over the piece I realised that what appeared to be a weird zig zag break along one edge was actually the rim. Clarence looked at the interior surface of the pottery and immediately noticed that it was “loaded with residue” indicating that there was a considerable amount of carbonized food incrustation on the inner surface. He then speculated on the possibility that I may have an extremely large horseshoe imbedded up a specific body cavity. Apparently, had not previously observed the “fall in the water, crawl out and immediately make an amazing discovery” technique for recovering artifacts.

Large pottery rim sherd with crenulated (zig-zag) lip recovered after a fall in the water.

The recovered rim sherd is also very thin and has been classified as Sandy Lake ware. This type of pottery occurs more frequently in areas south of Lac Seul and is associated with cultural groups who lived in areas now known as northern Minnesota and North Dakota. Although Sandy Lake pottery sherds have been previously recovered from Lac Seul, the frequency of this type of material is very low. Furthermore, the crenulated rim is a rare type for this ware. In addition, the few vessels with similar zig-zag rims that have been recovered do not appear to have the same exterior decorative features. The double row of circular impressions (punctates) placed on the shoulder zone of the sherd appear to be unique to this vessel.

Sandy Lake vessel with crenulated lip and double row of exterior punctates.

I have previously put forward the idea that Lac Seul was a hub for trade and cultural interaction. The elaborate system of rivers and lakes that exist throughout the region functioned as travel routes providing an inter-connected transportation network for Indigenous foraging groups who lived in the past. The recovery of this specific artifact seems to provide additional support for this hypothesis. I am incredibly lucky to have found this amazing artifact. Even if it involved a fall in the fall.

Please note, an earlier version of this blog was published February 2015 as an article in WANIKAN [Vol. 15-1], newsletter of the Thunder Bay Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Society (pp. 10-12).