Abstract

This paper presents archaeological research conducted on the harvest of fish resources in the northern boreal forest of Manitoba. This study focuses on eleven fish spears and harpoons that were among forty-five bone and antler tools recovered from a 4000 year old human burial (GkLr-61 feature 2). Bone and antler tools have only been given a cursory examination in boreal forest archaeology due to the perishable nature of these materials. The importance of fish in the diets of northern groups was established through archival documents, ethnologies, interviews, and stable isotope analyses. The results were established further with archaeological analyses including experimental archaeology and wear pattern analyses. This research represents the first intensive study of bone and antler tools from this region of Manitoba using these methods. The outcome of this study suggests that fish were a primary dietary resource among boreal forest groups in northern Manitoba 4000 years ago.