The Seasonal Round of Archaeology

The Seasonal Round of Archaeology

By David Finch, Curator of Archaeology

 

I lived in Yellowknife for ten years where the seasons are definitely pronounced. Downtown Yellowknife wraps around a small lake and I used to shop at stores on the other side. Shopping in winter was easier because I didn’t have to go around the lake – I could just walk across the ice. For the rest of the year, I faced a longer trek to reach my destination.

A miniature museum diorama showing a community during three different season of the year, and demonstrating the changes in activities and living.

There is a concept in science called the seasonal round, which is basically how a group lives at different times of the year. Note that I did not say “in all four seasons” because that’s a Western idea of time – one traditional Cree view of the year has six seasons.

Regardless, humans and animals follow seasonal cycles that we see reflected in archaeological sites. Summer fish camps are different from fall hunting sites, and both are different from winter trapping cabins.

 

Image: A museum diorama of seasonal Anishnaabe campsites demonstrates the concept of a seasonal round. ©Manitoba Museum

Archaeologists also follow a seasonal round – it’s hard to dig in frozen ground or to survey when there is snow. In Manitoba, the season for fieldwork is often from May to October, with the winter months spent writing reports.

Shoreline of alake beginning to melt in spring time. Further from the shore there is ice and snow on the surface of the lake, and near the shoreline, which is still covered in snow, pools of water are beginning to show through the ice.

Spring break-up creates challenges for getting around, so it’s the perfect time for reports and a pot of tea. ©David Finch/Manitoba Museum

An individual on a snow mobile from behind, as they travel down a snow covered road lined with evergreens.

Accessing the country near Hudson’s Bay is a lot easier with snow machines. ©David Finch/Manitoba Museum

This summertime focus affects our mobility: recorded sites tend to be near highways and shorelines because most fieldwork is done during summer from trucks and boats. Ancient access was different, and winter sites might be in what we now write off as bogs.

One way around these problems is to think broadly about how, where, and when we can explore the land: oral history and traditional land use can help predict where sites may be (and where we should dig); underwater archaeology and remote sensing can reveal hidden sites; and making community connections and getting to know the land in all seasons can also point us in the right direction.

Looking over the heads of two people on a boat travelling over a body of water towards a treed bank.

Lakes and rivers are like highways, both in ancient times and for archaeologists. ©David Finch/Manitoba Museum

Two individuals seated on the edge of a river bank among trees with fall foliage. Both individuals are wearing high-vis vests.

Doing community-based fieldwork in Labrador (working in fall means fewer bugs. ©David Finch/Manitoba Museum

Did you know that roughly 2.5 million (86%) of the Museum’s 2.9 million artifacts are part of the Archaeology collection? Containing objects dating from the last ice age through thousands of years of Indigenous history and the arrival and settlement of Europeans in Manitoba, the collection represents over 12,000 years of Manitoba’s history. Visit today to explore the Archaeology collection and all the stories it has to tell.

Dave Finch

Dave Finch

Curator of Archaeology

Dave is an archaeologist and ethnohistorian who works with communities in the Canadian Subarctic. He was born in Winnipeg and was raised in northern Manitoba and northwest Ontario. He has also worked in environmental assessment and forensics, and in areas from the Northwest Territories to Labrador. He received a Masters in Environmental Studies from Lakehead University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Winnipeg.
Meet Dave Finch

Meteorites or Meteor-Wrongs?

Spotting a shooting star can be a pretty exciting experience. Join Planetarium Astronomer Scott Young at our Space Rocks exhibit to learn about some of the best meteor showers of the year – one of which is coming up later this month!

Visit the Science Gallery, where you can check out the oldest rock you’ll ever touch!

Plan your visit

It’s Science! Let’s make a rocket

Do you know the three things that are needed to make a rocket? In this video, join Science Communicator Rhianna in the Explore Science Zone to learn about rockets, and to make one of our own!

Catch Forward to the Moon in the Planetarium this summer!

Plan your visit today

Meet the Criddle Family!

Have you ever heard of the Criddles of Manitoba? They immigrated to Canada in 1882, but they weren’t your typical farming family. Learn more about Percy Criddle and his family in this video with Collections Technician of Human History, Cortney Pachet.

Foraging for Wild Fruits

Manitoba has many wild plants that produce edible fruits. These can make for a nutritious snack while out on a walk or hike, and can also be a great addition to your garden – keeping that tasty fruit nearby! In this video, learn about some of the berries, cherries, and “faux” berries of Manitoba with Curator of Botany Dr. Diana Bizecki Robson.

Note: Before consuming any wild fruit, remember to consult with a field guide, to ensure you can correctly identify both edible and dangerous fruits.

Prairies Before the Plow

In the 1800s the prairies of Manitoba had experienced limited settlement and looked vastly different to what we see today. Join Tashina Houle-Schlup in the Prairies Gallery for a look back at what those grasslands would have looked like.

Pick up your own copy of this map at the Museum Shop!

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Foraging for Wild Fruits

By Diana Bizecki Robson, Curator of Botany at the Manitoba Museum

 

There are many plant species with edible fruit in Manitoba. Wild fruits make a nutritious snack when you are out hiking but you may also want to consider growing of these shrubs in your yard to ensure easy access to their delicious fruit.

Berries

Berries are fleshy fruits with several seeds inside them. The most popular ones to eat are Saskatoons (Amelanchier alnifolia) and blueberries (Vaccinium spp.). Saskatoons are tall shrubs typically found in the prairies and parklands, while blueberries are low shrubs common in the boreal forest.

A cluster of small blue-purple berries growing among green leaves on a bush.

Saskatoons (Amelanchier alnifolia) are often found along river valleys in southern Manitoba. © Manitoba Museum

A low growing plant with small white flowers growing on it.

When in flower, Velvet-leaved Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) attracts many insect pollinators, including bees. © Manitoba Museum

Cherries

Fruits that we commonly call “cherries” or “plums” are actually drupes, a fleshy fruit with a hard, inedible pit inside. Manitoba has five species of wild cherries including Wild (Prunus americana) and Canada Plum (P. nigra), Chokecherry (P. virginiana), Pin Cherry (P. pensylvanica) and Sand Cherry (P. pumila). Wild plums and cherries can be pitted and dried or turned into jam, juice, or jelly.

Clusters of dark blue chokecherries growing on a branch.

Chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) are common, tall shrubs with edible, dark purple fruits. © Manitoba Museum

Small red Pin cherries growing along a leaved branch.

Pin cherries (Prunus pensylvanica) are tall shrubs with bright red berries occurring in clusters. © Manitoba Museum

A red raspberry growing among green leaves.

Faux Berries

Some fruits are called “berries” but are structurally different from real berries. The fleshy part of wild strawberries (Fragaria spp.) is actually a fleshy petal; what we call “seeds” are the fruits. In raspberries (Rubus idaeus) and dewberries (R. pubescens) the fruit is a whole bunch of tiny fruits clustered together.

 

Image: Dewberry (Rubus pubescens) produces a raspberry-like fruit that is highly nutritious. © Manitoba Museum

A berry consisting of red drupes growing low to the ground among green leaves.

Fatal Fruits

Edible fruits typically grow on shrubs, and are red, bluish, or purple in color. If the fruits are white, or if the plant is a vine or herb, it should not be eaten. The plant Baneberry (Actaea rubra) produces poisonous berries that can be fatal if eaten.

 

Image: Baneberry (Actaea rubra) is a forest herb that has deathly poisonous red or white berries. Do not consume this species’ fruit! CC-BY-SA-2.0

Before consuming any wild fruit, remember to consult with a field guide, to ensure you can correctly identify both edible and dangerous fruits.

Dr. Diana Bizecki Robson

Dr. Diana Bizecki Robson

Curator of Botany

Dr. Bizecki Robson obtained a Master’s Degree in Plant Ecology at the University of Saskatchewan studying rare plants of the mixed grass prairies. After working as an environmental consultant and sessional lecturer…
Meet Dr. Bizecki Robson

Winnipeg 150: Experiences of Immigration

Adapting to life in a new city or country can come with many challenges and successes. This video with Dr. Roland Sawatzky in the Winnipeg Gallery looks at how the experiences of immigrants to Winnipeg in the last 20 years or so compare to the experiences of immigrants 100-150 years ago.

This series celebrating Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary is ongoing throughout 2024, so keep an eye out for more #Wpg150 videos!

Manitoba Museum welcomes Museum Advisor on Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Treaty No. 1 Territory – Winnipeg, Manitoba: July 8, 2024 – The Manitoba Museum is pleased to welcome Tabitha Harper in the role of Museum Advisor on Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation (M.A.I.R.R.).  In this new role, Harper will be instrumental in supporting and strengthening new and existing community relationships, developing a framework to guide the Museum’s implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and will meaningfully contribute to advancing Indigenous reconciliation efforts with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

Harper was raised on Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation, located on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, and attended high school in Winnipeg. She graduated with a diploma from Red River College Polytech’s Social Innovation and Community Development Program, with a major in Indigenous Social Entrepreneurship. Harper also draws on an informal education through lived experiences, such as ceremony and being an active helper in her community. Harper notes these experiences have helped her to remain humble and prepared to be ready and willing to support those in need.

Harper has held roles as Child Development Worker and Assistant Case Manager for Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation Jordan’s Principle and was the first Indigenous Cultural Program Instructor for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy (APC). Although her role at APC allowed Harper to reconnect and embrace her culture confidently, it also served as an often-painful reminder of her ancestors who were not able to legally practice their cultures and traditions.

“Through my schooling, I studied the lack of Indigenous representation and perspective within institutions and organizations in Manitoba, specifically about the interconnections between microaggressions, high turnover rate, and hesitancy on both sides for reconciliation. My passion is for overall wellness of Indigenous peoples so that they may thrive, heal, and strive towards self-determination and self-governance. Managing difficult conversations that support vulnerability and respect is an environment needed when discussing reconciliation; I feel my new role at the Manitoba Museum supports Indigenous inclusion, perspective, and reconciliation in a good way.” – Tabitha Harper, Museum Advisor on Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

In 2022, the Manitoba Museum introduced a 5-year Strategic Plan intended to guide the Museum’s way forward to becoming a more impactful and transformative institution. Highlighted in this plan was the necessity to acknowledge the role the Museum played in colonization, and to demonstrate its commitment to advance decolonization, reconciliation, and repatriation in all facets of the Museum’s work.  This new role was in part created to ensure the Museum’s decisions and actions were properly informed, and to maintain respectful and collaborative relationships with Indigenous communities.

“I want to be a bridge not only for Indigenous people, but also non-Indigenous people, to provide support and engagement opportunities for transparent communications. I believe that my work in this position will help Indigenous peoples feel more welcome to attend, connect, and interact in Museum spaces, and I’m looking forward to developing relationships and connecting with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples – because I feel the most rich and fruitful connections happen through meaningful and respectful relationships” – Tabitha Harper.

The Canadian Museums Association’s ‘Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums’ Report is a direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #67. The Manitoba Museum uses this vital resource as a guide to determine their compliance with UNDRIP and identify what work is still needed. With Harper’s guidance, the knowledge and support of the Indigenous Advisory Circle to the Manitoba Museum, and the expertise of museum colleagues from coast to coast to coast, the Manitoba Museum will develop an implementation framework to ensure museum policies and practices uphold the Articles of UNDRIP related to museums and heritage institutions.

“While Tabitha brings invaluable knowledge and wisdom to this role, the Museum as a whole carries the responsibility to repair relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. As the Museum Advisor on Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Tabitha will work together with colleagues across our institution to dismantle existing systems which fail to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples to self-determination, and control and authority over their own heritage, tangible and intangible.” – Dorota Blumczynska, CEO of the Manitoba Museum.

The Manitoba Museum, as a steward of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artifacts, has a profound responsibility to partner with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities in sharing their stories, stories that are at the heart of Manitoba’s history. In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, cultural revitalization, and knowledge and language reclamation, the Manitoba Museum recognizes its larger commitment and responsibility to honour the unique relationship between Indigenous peoples and the Museum. This conscious recognition endeavors to support the practice and revitalization of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cultural traditions—past, present, and future.

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Media Contact: 

Brandi Hayberg
Manager of Marketing & Communications
Manitoba Museum
BHayberg@ManitobaMusuem.ca

Connecting the Continent

Sometimes archaeologists find things in Manitoba that seem like they shouldn’t be here. We don’t have volcanos – how did obsidian get here? Through trade routes!

Learn more about the trade routes that have connected the continent for thousands of years in this video with Curator of Archaeology Dave Finch.

Pick up your own copy of this map at the Museum Shop!

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