This past July, archaeologists from the Haut Saint-Laurent MRC discovered traces of what appears to be the oldest known village in Quebec in the Cazaville area of Saint-Anicet.
According to archaeologist, Michel Gagné, even though the team is in the initial stages of researching this site, it is reasonable to believe that they have made a major discovery. “The site could date from around the 12th or 13th century of our era, corresponding, more or less, to the Middle Ages in Europe… it’s the first time we have found an inland site this old,” he reckoned.
The area where the field research took place is close to route 132 and covers 2000 square meters. We have already uncovered some 1500 artefacts, noted Michel Gagné, the archaeologist who was involved in finding the Droulers-Tsiionhiakwatha site.
Furthermore, the Iroquois living at this site were probably ancestors of those who settled the Droulers-Tsiionhiakwatha site. Among the principal elements that indicated the presence of this village, were pieces of pottery, a pit (similar to ones found in longhouses), as well as fragments of corn.
Prolific zone
This new excavation site can be added to the ten sites which have revealed their secrets in various stages to date on the Saint-Anicet territory, including 3 Iroquois villages of national interest (this makes 4), and the Doulers site, which is a National Historic Site of Canada.
For Michel Gagné, this is a particularly special discovery, even though there is still work to complete in order to verify and document the remains of the site.
“We have to carry out further assessment, in particular, radiocarbon dating a grain of corn to definitely validate this hypothesis. On the other hand, the ceramic material has also been examined by high level researchers and they have come to the same conclusion as I have regarding the relative dating of the site,” proposed the archaeologist.
Knowledge of the area
According to Gagné, the discovery of this unknown archaeological site amounts, more or less, to a miracle. It is the result of a thorough understanding of the physical and ecological characteristics of the area.
“Reading the biogeographical landscape made it possible for me to ascertain the existence of marshes and wetlands along lac Saint-François that were separated at a single location in this area by a significant sand dune which formed a natural corridor and provided easy access to inland territory where we found the archaeological sites.”
Field research aiming to shed light on this archaeological site will be carried out during the summer of 2016 and will allow the region to consolidate its archaeological expertise already confirmed by the Droulers-Tsiionhiakwatha and the Pointe-du-Buisson Sites.
A request for financial support was submitted last year to the ministère des Affaires municipales for a project to examine the banks of the rivière La Guerre, which could also contain remains dating from the Anglo, French and Iroquois historical period and produce a major exhibition.
Translated by Cathleen Johnston
