Autre nom(s)
Niska Site
Archaeological Site DkNu-3
Liens et documents
s/o
Date(s) de construction
Inscrit au répertoire canadien:
2009/03/26
Énoncé d'importance
Description du lieu patrimonial
The Niska Site is a Municipal Heritage Property comprising 64 hectares of cultivated fields approximately eight kilometers southeast of the Town of Ponteix. The property features extensive deposits of precontact artifacts that have been brought to the surface by cultivation and erosion. Undisturbed archaeological remains below the plough zone have also been identified.
Valeur patrimoniale
The heritage value of the Niska site lies in the information it reveals regarding Saskatchewan's early inhabitants. The surface artifacts represent numerous precontact cultures spanning several millennia. The property is most significant for a buried occupation attributed to a late manifestation of the “Scottsbluff” culture that was radiocarbon dated to more than 7,000 years before present. Excavation of this component revealed an ancient campsite strategically located near seasonal ponds that would have been attractive to game animals. Camp activities, some of which took place around a hearth, included stone tool preparation, hide working and cooking. The presence of abundant hematite, an ingredient in pigments and paint, suggests that artistic or ceremonial activities may also have occurred.
When discovered in 1983, these were the oldest intact archaeological remains known in the Saskatchewan. Only three undisturbed sites of similar antiquity have been investigated since.
Source:
Rural Municipality of Auvergne, No. 76 Bylaw No. 92-11.
Éléments caractéristiques
The heritage value of the Niska site resides in the following character-defining elements:
-elements that reflect precontact use of the site and contribute to its interpretation, including hearths or other archaeological features, butchered bone, artifacts such as projectile points and other stone tools, and the spatial relationships and environmental context of the archaeological remains.
Reconnaissance
Juridiction
Saskatchewan
Autorité de reconnaissance
Administrations locales (Sask.)
Loi habilitante
Heritage Property Act, alinéa 11(1)(a)
Type de reconnaissance
Bien patrimonial municipal
Date de reconnaissance
1992/05/06
Données sur l'histoire
Date(s) importantes
s/o
Thème - catégorie et type
- Un territoire à peupler
- Les premiers habitants du Canada
Catégorie de fonction / Type de fonction
Actuelle
- Approvisionnements en vivres
- Arrondissement ou espace rural
Historique
- Indéterminée (site archéologique)
- Site enfoui
- Indéterminée (site archéologique)
- Site à découvert
Architecte / Concepteur
s/o
Constructeur
s/o
Informations supplémentaires
Emplacement de la documentation
Saskatchewan Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport
Heritage Resources Branch
1919 Saskatchewan Drive Regina, SK
File: MHP 1467
Réfère à une collection
Identificateur féd./prov./terr.
MHP 1467
Statut
Édité
Inscriptions associées
s/o