Never be too absolute when stating your truth.

Below is A.E. Jones writing about St. Ignace ll as recorded in the AARO of 1902.

He later changed his mind in support of the National Historic site off of 

Rosemount Rd. - Tay township.

Efforts were made to construct the Martyrs' Shrine on this site known as Martyrs'Hill and then abandoned when Jones changed his mind.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE SITE OF ST. IGNACE II. 

To answer off-hand, in a word or two, the question: "What 
makes you so sure that you have found the site of St. Ignace II. ? " 
is no easy matter. To satisfy fully those of an enquiring turn of 
mind, I must proceed with method, and, in answer to the question, 
formulate a thesis which I hope to make clear and acceptable : 

East half lot 4, concession VII., Tay township, is absolutely the 
only spot, 

1. Where the configuration of the ground tallies perfectly with 
the description of St. Ignace II., given in the Relations and in 
Bressani, 

2. Which at the same time lies at the proper distance, and 

3. In the right direction from Ste. Marie I. (The Old Fort). 

19O2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT. 93 

What does the following statement of Bressani mean when he references St Ignace 

as the "first village"

BRESSANI. " So stealthily did they [the Iroquois] make their 
way through the forests, that, at the break of day, on March 16, 
without having so far betrayed their ' approach, they reached the 
gates of the first village of the Hurons, named St. Ignace. 

Tracking Down Artifacts

 [source]

Design for a hilt in blackwork with pea pods surrounded by two goldsmiths, and a small scene with two swordsmen fighting [1619]. From a small and beautiful series by French enamel-worker, Jean Toutin*

I was posting recently on a Midland FB pgMidland Ontario Canada - Our Hometown - Then and Now and when exploring archaeological sites that are now in the town of Midland I came across the reference to the French sword dated 1619 found in what was then Tiny township on lot 99 con 1. A F Hunter is told of the find but there is no indication of what happened to it. It does not appear in items turned over to the Provincial museum ( now the ROM) and we have to assume it remained with the owner as did so many collections did and still do today.All may not be lost, in regard to the sword at least. I was reviewing the details of other sites that are now in the town limits and came across the Frazer site on lot 101 con 2 Tay. This owner did turn over his artifacts to the museum (catalog # 16,702) along with a French sword dated 1619 that had be given to him by "someone in the neighborhood". There is little doubt that lot 99 con 1 Tiny just off of Hwy 93 south of Hwy 12 would have been considered in the same neighborhood as lot 101 con 2 Tay at Hwy 12 and William St.

I think that it would be quite cool if Jamie could hunt down this rare artifact at the ROM and have it returned to the Huronia museum in time for the 400th anniversary of Champlain's arrival here. While this sword postdates Champlain's visit to Huronia, he is the one responsible for bringing the French here and as a result the placement of this sword on the land in the town we now know as Midland.

Job posting - Report Writing

 Archeoworks Inc

Archeoworks Inc, is currently searching for a full-time, permanent Archaeologist to join our CRM team.

Archeoworks conducts stage 1-4 archaeological investigations across Ontario.

The role: Report Writing

As an archaeologist specializing in report writing, you are a big picture thinker, analytical and detail oriented with an ability to put context to data. You are a skilled communicator with internal and external project members. The qualified candidate is capable of working in a team setting, as well as independently.

Responsibilities:

 Prepare stage 1-4 assessment reports

 Communicate with a variety of stakeholders

 Ensure reports meet outside and internal standards and are send ready

 Provide leadership and support to project team members.

 Conduct background research

 Compile, organize, analyze and put context to data gathered from multiple sources

Requirements:

 Masters level Degree in Anthropology, or Archaeology

 Professional license in good standing with the MTCS

 Several years of experience in consulting archaeology including extensive field experience

 Excellent written, verbal communications skills

 Developed analytical skills and highly attentive to details

 A solid foundation of working with software programs including proficiency in Photoshop, illustrator and word

 Experience with GIS systems

 Holder of a professional level archaeological license in Ontario

 Strong working knowledge of current MTC standards and guidelines

Location: Toronto/GTA

Please forward resume to jobs@archeoworks.com

Job posting - Field Supervisor

 Archeoworks Inc

Archeoworks Inc, is currently searching for a full-time Archaeologist to join our CRM team.

Archeoworks conducts stage 1-4 archaeological investigations across Ontario.

The role: Field Supervisor Archeoworks Inc is seeking an Archaeological Field Supervisor to join our CRM team. Successful candidates will be responsible for the following:  Carrying out all phases of archaeological assessments in a supervisory role  Providing leadership, direction and support to field technicians  Ensuring field work meets legislative requirements and additional external and internal policy standards  Conducting archaeological assessment in a variety of work environments outdoors in all weather with occasional overnight stays on out-of-town projects  Providing training to new archaeological field staff  Demonstrating a “Safety First” focus and acting as a role model to other staff;  Performing other duties as required.

Requirements:  Masters level Degree in Anthropology, or Archaeology  Professional license in good standing with the MTCS  Several years of experience in consulting archaeology including extensive field experience  Excellent written, verbal communications skills  Developed analytical skills and highly attentive to details  A solid foundation of working with software programs including proficiency in Photoshop, illustrator and word  Experience with GIS systems  Holder of a professional level archaeological license in Ontario

 Strong working knowledge of current MTC standards and guidelines Location: Toronto/GTA Please forward resume to jobs@archeoworks.com

Share & Win an Archaeologist for a day

/www.facebook.com/BoydArchaeologicalFieldSchool/app_28134323652

Enter SweepstakesInvite Friends

Prize Details

A member of TRCA’s Archaeology Unit will visit the winning school to do an in-class presentation! The archaeologist will also staff a display booth in a public space during lunch and after school for the whole school.

Prize Eligibility

Only persons residing in Canada who are between 16 and 19 years of age can enter.

Sweepstakes Starts

January 07, 2013 @ 09:00 am (EST)

Sweepstakes Ends

February 01, 2013 @ 11:59 am (EST)

Need more Details?

Read the Official Rules

Boyd Archaeological Field School 2013

The 36th season of Boyd Archaeological Field School takes place from August 9th - 25th, 2013 at the Claremont Field Centre in Pickering, Ontario, Canada

Students complete a Grade 12 Interdisciplinary Studies Credit (IDC4U) while participating in all aspects of an actual excavation.

In this unique experiential course, students also learn through

• hands-on activities such as flintknapping and other ancient technologies
• classroom sessions from our certified teachers and professional archaeologists
• guest lectures from leading experts in archaeological disciplines

Whether or not you plan to pursue a career in archaeology, this total immersion course
will challenge you to perform at new levels of achievement in a team environment.

For full details see the website - http://www.boydfieldschool.org/

FAQs

Who owns the artifacts?

The answer to this question is ambiguous at best. The answer differs somewhat depending on the landowner: the rules for federally owned lands, such as national parks, and First Nations reserves are different from those applying other lands in Ontario. The Ontario government does not assert ownership of artifacts, but it does set out the laws governing the practice of archaeology in the province. These state that:

1.     Only a licensed archaeologist may collect or excavate artifacts in the province of Ontario.

2.     Under the terms of the licence, the government charges the archaeologist with holding the artifacts in trust for the people of Ontario.

3.     The archaeologist may place the artifacts in a public institution, such as a museum, for safekeeping.

In other words, the licensed archaeologist is the only person who may collect artifacts, but she or he does not own them. In fact, one could say that every resident of Ontario owns them, but no single individual does.

Does this mean that I need to turn over the collection that my grandfather made in 1952?

No. While it would be great if it was donated to a museum, the province is not attempting to recover old collections. It does mean that you should not be adding to that collection.  

Can anyone dig?

Only those with an archaeological licence or people directly supervised by someone with a professional or research archaeological license may excavate.

What is the penalty for digging without a license?

The Ontario Heritage Act prohibits anyone from disturbing or altering an archaeological site — whether on land or under water — unless they hold a valid archaeological licence issued by the ministry. You may be disturbing an archaeological site, if you pick up arrowheads in a farmer's field, grade an archaeological site with a bulldozer, or take objects from a shipwreck.

Anyone who disturbs or alters an archaeological site or removes an artifact from a site without a licence can be fined or imprisoned. A person or a director of a corporation found in violation of the act or its regulations can face a fine of up to $1,000,000 or imprisonment for up to one year or both. A corporation found in violation of the act or the regulations can face a fine of up to $250,000.

What happens if we find a burial?

The Cemeteries Act and the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, when proclaimed in force, requires anyone who uncovers a burial site containing human remains to report the discovery to the appropriate authorities — the police or a coroner. Likewise, archaeologists who encounter human remains during archaeological fieldwork are required to comply with all relevant provisions of the Cemeteries Act and Ontario Regulation 133/92 (Burial Sites) as part of the terms and conditions of their archaeological licence.

If human remains are discovered during land development activities, all construction and soil disturbance must stop immediately to allow the authorities to investigate. All archaeological fieldwork must stop until the coroner has had the opportunity to investigate and the Registrar of Cemeteries has been consulted. The Cemeteries Act requires that the descendants or representatives of those buried at the site be consulted prior to any decision regarding final disposition of the remains be made.

Who are the descendants of the people who once lived here?

The Huron/Wendat confederacy that consisted of four or five confederated nations living between Nottawasaga Bay and Lake Simcoe. They reported to have lived here some 200 to 300 years prior to the first Europeans arriving in Huronia and were Iroquoian by culture and language

Remnants of History

I have been in a friendly debate lately regarding the location of the Jesuit mission of St Ignace or what has become known as St Ignace ll that was designated as a National Historic site in 1955. As a result of these discussions I was reviewing the other purported locations for this Jesuit mission of 1649 and thought that it might be interesting to create a list of other named localities existed in Tay township during the historic Jesuit era of 1635-1649.

In review of various records it would appear that there are approximately 80 archaeological sites in Tay that relate to this time period. About 12 of these are ossuaries and another 30 or so relate to the period of first contact that the involved the relationship between the Huron/Wendat, the French/Jesuit. The Jesuit records found within the Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents (this would include maps of the 1600s) identify the following locals within what is now Tay township:

1. - The best known of these sites is Ste Marie among the Huron on the Wye river. This was the home of the Jesuit and a French fort between 1639-1649 and is designated as a National Historic site. It was not a native village and hence had no native name.

2. - Kaontia - this was a Wendat village reported to be within 1 league or 4km from Ste Marie and some think that it was called Ste Anne by the Jesuits.

3. - Ekhiondastsaan - this was a Wendat village that does not appear to have been given a name by the Jesuits but may have been known by the French as La Chaudiere.

4. - St Louis mission/village is designated as another National Historic site whose location is very much associated with the location of St Ignace ll. Not all agree to the true location of this village and it does not appear to have had a native name.

5. - St Denis appears on some Jesuit maps relating to this time period but does not show up with a native name.

6. - St. Jean appears on some Jesuit maps but does not show up with a native name.

7. - St Joachim appears on some Jesuit maps to be north of St Jean  but does not show up with a native name.

8. - St Ignace 1 shows up on some Jesuit maps.

9. - Ataratiri, this village location was once thought to be that of St Ignace ll and efforts were made to start the development of the  Martyrs' Shrine and was known a Martyrs' Hill.

10. - Arethsi, is thought by some to have been  a major village of the Cord Nation of the Wendat that occupied Tay township at the time of the Jesuits and that no Jesuit or French name is associated with it. Some think that this location was St Joachim and there is one purported Jesuit map that links Arethsi with St Ignace 1.

Given that the Wendat villages moved when they ran out of a sufficient supply of wood or the land was no longer productive, it is no wonder that we have far more archaeological sites dating to this period that we have named villages/missions in this list and given that each of these locals was the home of 500 to 1500 individuals the population of Tay might have been quite close to what it is today.

Members Meeting - January 10th 2013

 Topic - moving forward:

On Thursday, January 10^th, 2013, at 7:00 PM at the Huronia Museum the OAS Huronia Chapter meeting will be devoted to strategy planning for the 2013 year.  Do not be surprised if Jamie Hunter has more artifacts that need washing and sorting.

This is also a good time to renew your membership if you have not already done so.

In 2012 some projects did not get too far along the road to being accomplished, others were very successful.  Moving into first gear for 2013 and with one eye glancing ahead to 2015 when the Chapter has the hosting responsibilities for the provincial OAS Symposium to be held in Midland, how do we pick our projects and ensure that they are carried forward to successful completion.

Some topics to be considered:

1.     activity for National Archaeology Day October 2013

2.     archaeology in the schools project

3.     articles for Arch Notes

4.     fundraising

5.     newsletter (The Pot) and irregular bulletin (The Sherd)

6.     OAS Symposium in Huronia in 2015

7.     online availability of archaeology photographs by Chapter members (Chapter – flickr account)

8.     online presence:  website, chapter blog and facebook page.

9.     papers and or poster for OAS Symposium at Niagara Falls in the Fall of 2013.

10.   Public Archaeology Day for the Huronia Chapter.

11.   publications by the Chapter: traditional print and epublishing

12.   publicity

o    promotion of meetings

o    public events

13.   relationship with Champlain 400 committee

14.   relationship with Huronia Museum

15.   relationship with post-secondary institutions.

16.   relationship with Simcoe County Forest.

17.   speakers/presentations list for 2013

UPCOMING OAS Huronia Chapter meeting dates 2013 

Jan 10, Feb 14, March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug 8, Sep 12, Oct 17, Nov 14, Dec 12^th (Chapter AGM)

Huronia Museum & Native Village
549 Little Lake Park Rd                                  Midland, Ontario (705) 526 2844  http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=44.743083,-79.881924&z=16&t=h&hl=en