Thunder Bay Chapter - A People's History: Slate Falls Through Memory and Material

Topic: A People's History: Slate Falls Through Memory and Material 

Speaker: Hudson Kunicky

A recent archaeological survey of an Ojibwe village (Slate Falls) in the Treaty No. 9 territory in Northwestern Ontario, focused on the post-contact period between 1840-1980. Work was completed through archaeology, ethnography, and partnerships between local community members and researchers from the Department of Anthropology at Lakehead University. These investigations were conducted as academic research and the documentation of culture history for the Slate Falls people. The primary emphases were placed on understanding shifting material culture and culture change within the study area. Results of the analyses indicate people were closely tied to the land, with a strong persistence of traditional food procurement and tool manufacturing. The unusual quantity and array of bone or glass tools is particularly noteworthy for a boreal forest context.