A new way of exploring the ancient past: N. Ont archeologist wants Indigenous communities to play larger role

The call came on a Sunday. A couple digging up a stump on their land not far from New Liskeard had found what they thought was an arrowhead.

Archeologist Ryan Primrose grabbed his gear and headed out there, thinking it might just be an "unusual rock."

And it was very unusual. A foot-long piece of quartz, carved into a point.

"Immediately it became clear that this was a very rare site," says Primrose.

Buried in the ground, he found dozens of other ancient stone tools, packed in with red ochre— a dye used to paint pictographs— and a small piece of charcoal dating back 3,100 years.

That's before the Roman empire and before the city of Rome was even founded.

One of the key parts of excavating that find, known as the McLean Cache, was a call to Wayne McKenzie from Timiskaming First Nation, who held a feast and ceremony on the site where his ancestors had once walked. 

He says he still gets a thrill holding that 3,000-year-old piece of quartz. 

"It was pretty awesome to see. Really filled my heart to see it," says McKenzie. 

"I'm a traditional man. So I sing a lot of old traditional songs passed down thousands of years, but to get a touch of it. It's home."

Primrose says many of the tools were never used and the people who buried them likely never intended to return for them, instead leaving them as some kind of offering.

He says there are also tools that are very similar to those found in Michigan and Illinois, suggesting a trade network connection between the Great Lakes and the Temiskaming district far earlier than originally thought.

McKenzie says this part of his people's history is not well understood, including in their own communities, and hopes more will be revealed in the coming years.

"There is kind of a messy history part there. There's also a beautiful part of what was here and how we did live," he said.