New Cultural Heritage Discovery Near Twin Lakes

​Our research team recently made an exciting discovery just west of the Twin Lakes Site (IdKk-1) — we found pieces of stone that had been shaped by people long ago. These artifacts were uncovered along an old trail where past logging likely disturbed the ground, bringing them to the surface. Although we don’t yet know how old these artifacts are, their discovery adds to the ongoing and intriguing the story of Twin Lakes.

Because the finds were located more than 250 metres away from the original Twin Lakes Site, this area will receive a new archaeological site designation, following Provincial guidelines. 

​We named it the Raki Site, using the first letters of our local research associates’ names — Ida Rabiscah and Kristin Anderson. The Province will soon assign the site its official Borden designation. We took photographs of the artifacts, recorded the location where they were found and returned them to the Land.

The Greywacke artifact on the left has a “bulb of percussion” which occurs when a stone flake is removed from a larger piece of stone. A chert “flake” on the right was likely produced when a stone tool was being manufactured. Chert is an ideal material for a stone tool because it can have sharp edges.

A Bit of History
The original Twin Lakes Site was first documented in the 1960s when stone “chips” and tools were discovered during road construction. Over the following years, archaeologists including Dr. W. Irving, Mrs. Irving H. Smith of Churchill, and Dr. W. J. Mayer-Oakes from the University of Manitoba visited and excavated the site, recovering a variety of stone tools.

​In 2024, our team relocated the old excavation areas, connecting the past and present work at this fascinating site.

Twin Lakes sits atop a flat-topped sand and gravel hill, known as a kame, that rises about 20 metres above the surrounding land. Geologists believe it was formed roughly 8,200 years ago, and that about 3,200 years ago, the sea level was near its top. Around that same time, people living in the region used Pre-Dorset-style stone tools, similar to those found at the Seahorse Gully Site on the Churchill west peninsula.

Why This Discovery Matters
Finding worked stone beyond the original Twin Lakes Site suggests that people may have used a larger area of this landscape than we once thought. Areas that haven’t been disturbed by trails could still hold undiscovered artifacts buried just beneath the surface. Each new find helps us piece together how people lived, travelled, and thrived in this region thousands of years ago.

Donalee Deck photographed and mapped the artifacts. Matt Singer and Florence Hamilton provided commentary :-).