Forming a grassy
dome on a steep hill high above the lower Qu'Appelle, a conical mound, 15 meters in diameter and 1.5
meters high, marks an ancient aboriginal burial ground.
Almost 1,000 years
old, the Moose Bay Mound at Crooked Lake Provincial Park is one of many burial mounds built throughout North
America between 1000 B.C. and 1600 A.D. The site is notable for its relative
isolation, and is among the northernmost examples of this widespread early
aboriginal burial practice.
A 1968 excavation
of the Moose Bay site by archaeologists from the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural
History revealed a total of 8 burial units, consisting of bundled remains
surrounded by mortuary offerings of decorated pottery vessels, birch bark
containers, tubular stone pipes and bone tools.
Monumental Effort:
Burial mounds such as Moose Bay were constructed by first stripping the sod from
a circular area, then erecting a wooden post in the centre of the depression.
About one year following death, the remains of the deceased, which had been
tightly wrapped in buffalo hides, were rubbed with ochre, re-bundled, placed on
the ground around the central post and surrounded by grave goods required for
the next life. After a tipi-like structure was built to cover the bundles, many
tonnes of earth were hauled to cover the burial chamber.
The
park captures the spirit of the valley; a thick hardwood forest along the lake
gives rise to open grasslands and dense brush-filled coulees. Lakeside camping
is available under a canopy of Manitoba maples and American elms, and the
province's only bur oak trees.
You
are standing on the top of a one thousand year old Indian burial mound looking
south across the Qu'Appelle River Valley and Crooked Lake. The mound itself is
fifty feet in diameter and five feet high. In order to get here you must first
hike up a hill which is over five hundred feet high at a grade of forty-five
degrees
Looking
beyond this spot, you will see a majestic hill which dominates the valley slope
and forms the apex of a triangular group. At the summit is a conical mound, five
feet high and fifty feet in diameter, which rises above the surface of the
plateau. The Moose Bay Burial Mound was built approximately 950 years ago,
shortly before the Norman conquest of England. In 1968, it was excavated by
archaeologists from the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History. Their findings
revealed how the mound was constructed and some of the purposes it fulfilled.
Mound
burial was the final step in a long and complex mourning ritual. A few days
after a death, the body was tightly wrapped in buffalo hides and placed upon a
scaffold with gifts of food and implements. Intensive mourning, distribution of
possessions and a feast, often accompanied these religious ceremonies. About a
year later, the band terminated its mourning by constructing a mound. First, the
builders stripped the sod from a circular area and erected a wooden post in the
centre of this depression. Then the bones that were gathered from the scaffolds
were rubbed with ochre, rebundled and carefully arranged on the ground around
the central post. Artifacts and specially made grave goods that would be
required by the deceased in their next life, were deposited among the bundles.
Over this, a low tipi-like structure was built and finally, many tons of earth
were hauled in to cover the burial chamber.
Apart
from the obvious motive of burial, the Mound Builders sought to honor their
dead, ensure them of a happy and peaceful after-life, and leave a lasting
monument which might be revisited. Through these measures, they were able to
come to terms with the mystery and reality of death.
On July 22,
1968, archaeologists began excavation of the Moose Bay Burial Mound. Near the
surface they discovered the bundled skeleton of a young adolescent female. This
burial was an intrusion dug into the mound sometime after its construction.
Artifacts associated with this burial included five stone scrapers, three bone
awls and three pipes. A complete pottery vessel covered by two birch bark
containers was also found within the burial chamber. A small hole in the bottom
of the vessel probably represents the custom of "killing" mortuary offerings to
enable the artifacts to serve the deceased. The vessel's shoulder decoration of
four stylized turtles may link it to a similar one found on the prairies.
Next to the
central post, at the base of the mound, a multiple burial was unearthed which
contained the remains of two adult males; one 45 years and the other, 80 years
old. Associated grave goods included a birch bark container, a curved bone
knife, pottery shreds and fragments of a turtle shell which fit together to form
a
gorget.
Five additional burial units also found within the mound contained nine
individuals, eight of them children or adolescents. Few artifacts were
associated with these burials. Upon completion of the excavation, the mound was
back-filled with earth and resodded to preserve its original appearance.
Thousands
of mounds representing many diverse cultural traditions, were built throughout
North America between 1000 B.C. and 1600 A.D. Mounds in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan express the northernmost thrust of this practice. Archaeologists
considered the Moose Bay Mound significant because of its relative isolation,
the nearest known mound being about 100 miles to the south. Many common
attributes link this mound to those found in Manitoba.
Similarities
include:
-
conical
shape
-
burials at
ground level
-
birch bark
containers
-
mortuary
vessels
-
tubular
stone pipes
-
the use of
ochre
Other
details of burial procedure and mound construction, however, suggest other more
widely scattered influences. As most Plains Indian societies were semi-nomadic
hunting and gathering in groups, it is not surprising that the web of their
migrations and cultural influences should be a very complex one.
Many
unanswered questions about the Moose Bay Burial Mound and its significance in
Saskatchewan's prehistory await further investigations. Meanwhile, visitors who
master the steep slope to the mound may sense the emotion and tragedy of a
ceremony long past.
