Description of Historic Place

Apitipik National Historic Site of Canada consists of an isolated 272-hectare archaeological site located in the municipality of Gallichan, Quebec. The site sits at the eastern end of Lake Abitibi, at the mouth of the Duparquet River, near the Ontario-Quebec border. Often referred to as “Pointe Abitibi,” the site is a traditional summering area and sacred place for the Algonquin peoples of the region. Apitipik includes nearly 30 archaeological sites recording 6000 years of human occupation. The site also includes the remains of numerous trading posts that operated from the 17th century onward. Official recognition refers to the 272-hectare parcel of land in the township of Roquemaure, which corresponds to the boundaries of Lot No.59, Range 6, including Ki8ack8e matcite8eia.

Heritage Value

Apitipik was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1998 because:
-the site is both a traditional summering area and a sacred place for the Algonquin;
-it is an important site not only to the Pikogan community, but also to the Wahgoshig community;
-the site contains vestiges of various periods of occupation by the Abitibi Algonquin dating as far back as 6,000 years;
-the site also includes numerous trading posts.

The heritage value of Apitipik lies in its historical and archaeological associations with the Abitibi Algonquin as reflected in the land itself and in the above and below ground remains of human occupation. Apitipik is a sacred place and a traditional summer gathering place for the Apitipi8innik and their ancestors. It contains evidence of various periods of occupation, dating as far back as 6000 years. For example, the area contains specific paleo-historic sites that date from 4000 BCE to 1100 CE, including the investigated sites of Ki8ack8e matcite8eia, Bérubé, Margot, and Réal. Apitipik also includes numerous trading posts related to the North West and Hudson’s Bay Companies, which operated from the 17th century onward. Apitipik is of spiritual and cultural significance to both the Pikogan and Wahgoshig communities.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, November 1996.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include:
- its location in the municipality of Gallichan, Quebec near the Ontario-Quebec border;
- its setting at the eastern end of Lake Abitibi at the mouth of the Duparquet River;
- the relatively undisturbed geological morphology of the cultural landscape, and specifically those geological formations of spiritual significance such as the monumental rock (Kitci asini);
- the integrity, location, extent and materials of the some 30 archaeological sites, including the Bérubé, Margot, Réal and Ki8ack8e matcite8eia sites;
- any surviving vestiges relating to the 17th-century trading posts and missions including wood quays and stone piers on the edge of the peninsula, building foundations, and imported plant varieties including hawthorne and wildrose;
- any surviving above and below-ground evidence of use and occupancy of the site by different cultural groups at the same periods, including Matcite canoe launch sites and separate camp sites of the same period;
- any surviving evidence of continued community use including remains of the campground, the ball park, trails and barriers;
- the intact condition of individual burials and cemeteries within the site in their extent and with their burial markers;
- the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent;
- viewscapes from the site toward the Duparquet River and Lake Abitibi.