People of all ages had an opportunity to learn about archeology in the province recently, as the ArcheoCaravan made its way to the Western Development Museum. Loni Williams with the Saskatchewan Archaeo-logical Society says that the goal was to get people to learn more about what is going on with archeology in the province.
The day had activities for kids, with hide painting, pottery reconstruction and pottery making, activities made to illustrate how the province's indigenous people lived, or how archaeologists figure out what an item is and where it comes from. There was also a display of the different artifacts found in the province to highlight what is going on with archaeology in Saskatchewan.
The focus of most archaeology is on indigenous people in the province, specifically in the pre-contact era. Typical artifacts found are the objects people used every day, Williams says. Things like knives, pottery, hammer stones and projectile points are the most common finds in the area.
"Sometimes people are surprised that pottery was made so long ago. Two thousand years ago is a long time, and to know that they are making pottery, and to know that the archeological history in Saskatchewan can go back upwards of 10,000 years is usually pretty shocking to people," Williams says.
She uses the example of the projectile points to show how archaeology can show how a culture develops and technology changes. An arrowhead, for example, is a relatively recent invention, within the past 3,000 years. Before that, it was darts and spears, so by looking at a point, Williams says, one can tell when it was made and how it was used, based on the shape and construction.
Williams notes that many of the artifacts are broken, which indicates something about the people who created them. As everything was difficult to make, people would use their tools until they could not use them any more, and would sometimes adapt them to a second use to ensure they were not wasted. She notes that pot shards were often used to temper new pots when they were made.
The ArchaeoCaravan's job is to raise awareness of both history and archeology in Saskatchewan. Williams says that it's important that people know about history, and the groups like the Saskatchewan Archaeo-logical Society as well as museums which work to learn more about the history of the region.
"We try to foster an appreciation of history. We do this in conjunction with local museums because we want them to learn that the local history is also really important. Not just pre-contact, which is what our focus is, but also the historic items of the people who settled here from Europe... and to respect that history," Williams says.
