Some points from the talk concerning the Kleinberg Ossuary
by Professor Jerry Melbye of the University of Toronto at the July meeting of
the Huronia Chapter of the OAS:
- Farmer in plowing his field had thought he was disturbing animal bones
- Excavation in 1970
- From the records (17th century accounts) villages moved
about every 10 years
- Over the 10 year period people would die each year
- At the time of the feast, there would be recent whole bodies, somewhat
later partially decomposed bodies, and later bone bundles with bones from earliest
deceased people
- Two terms “Feast of the Dead” and “Feast of the Kettle”
- This was a happy feast and people from outside the village were invited
- Dimensions: 12 feet in diameter, 4 feet deep, circular, vertical walls,
flat floor
- Find gifts and food in the ossuary, communal not for an individual
- Diet 50-60 percent corn
- Sequence of “construction”: dig burial pit, place gifts, place whole
bodies, place partially decomposed bodies, place bundles of bones which were
opened and scattered
- After the burial pit is closed and before the village can complete the
move to the new village site, some individuals would die. Their bodies were interred close by around the burial pit but outside of
the pit
Professor Melbye included some excellent photographs of the 1970
excavation, clear black and white photography from back in film photography
days.
