Oral history work underway in north

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A remote community in a rugged and beautiful wilderness has invited Kevin Brownlee, the curator of archaeology from the Manitoba Museum, to pursue studies on its history.

Located 200 kilometres northwest of Thompson, Granville Lake enjoys a strong history that has been kept alive. Of special interest to the project are some of the oral histories of some of the caves, several original fur trade sites, and places where materials to construct stone tools are located and where archaeological finds are expected to date back 9,000 years.

"The community has envisioned a long-term development of eco-tourism so for the last few years local residents have begun to plan for the preservation of this living history, for their own people as well as to bring some visitors to the area," said Brownlee.

"This year, with support from Manitoba Hydro and Northwestern Manitoba Community Futures, we began to record these oral histories before Elders pass away."

Heavy rains on the prairies in the last few summers have resulted in water as much as 15 feet higher than normal, threatening the existence of some of the sites, which needed to be explored and preserved, so the residents decided the work must begin this summer before any damage was allowed to happen.

The people of the area are very involved in the research.

"As we explore the areas around the lakes and rivers, we find natural anomalies which are actually backing up ancient oral histories," Brownlee said.

"For example, we found a tent-shaped stone outcropping which some of the residents believe is what an Elder used to talk about, calling it a shaking tent and relating a story about its existence. He used to tell them to offer tobacco and honor the site. No one knew exactly where it was located, so when we found it, the community rejoiced."

As a Cree person himself and an archaeologist, Brownlee was awestruck by the community.

The study of the landscape has found ancient camping sites where the early ancestors fished.

"We are adding by bits and pieces to the history of the people of the area. And caves have been created in the rock to expose quartz. It's unbelievable," Kevin Brownlee said. Another trip has been planned already for December when more recording of Elders will occur, and communities from nearby Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake and Pukatawagan will be involved because their ancestors all shared the area. "I could spend the rest of my career in this part of the province, because the early people's movements were not restricted to the waterways. They travelled through the boreal forest as well," Brownlee added.

The Manitoba Museum is renowned for its combined human and natural heritage themes and prides itself on representing all facets of the province's history, from its northern Arctic coast to its southern prairie grasslands. To date, its collection of artefacts numbers 2.3 million. They are used for research, gallery and exhibit development, public programming and educational purposes. Brownlee has been with the museum for three years and felt honored to be one of the first Aboriginal curators of archaeology of a major institution in Canada.

"Here I am looking after the ancient heritage of the people of Manitoba, so I work with Assiniboine, Ojibway, Dene, Dakota, Inuit and Cree from all across the province, so it connects me with my own heritage and history, as well as sharing it and educating the public," he said.

"We have tentatively planned an archaeology field school in Granville Lake through Thompson's University College of the North for next summer, which would bring students to the community, as well as provide an opportunity for some of the local residents to get training," he said, adding that he had been asked to be director of the project.

"There would be a mix of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students, making a nice cross-cultural exercise, and it would also show the newcomers how to conduct archaeology in co-operation with, and respect for, anAboriginal community."

The main industry at Granville Lake now is hunting and trapping, as well as commercial fishing, which closes down for a few months in the summer and presents an ideal time for some archaeology, which would bring some outsiders into the community. Granville Lake is located about an hour by boat from Leaf Rapids, which is accessible by vehicle or air travel. Brownlee also hopes to bring in some geologists to explore the quartz in the area.

Archaeology is not just about objects, he concluded. It's also about providing us with a deeper understanding of Manitoba's history.

"We've been able to reconnect with the early people, camping out and eating berries in the evening, erecting a smoke house to prepare fish and moose meat. It's been a great experience. As the project continues, we look forward to sharing more summers of living the life of our ancestors."