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Connecting with the Land Blog



Dorset dwelling on the Churchill west peninsula

3/22/2025

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On the north ridge of the Seahorse Gully we located the remains of an approximately 2000 year old dwelling. The parallel row of vertically placed stones were the central part of the dwelling where activities like cooking and heating would occur. On both sides of this mid passage would have been living areas 

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Archaeologists refer to the people who used this type of dwelling as the Dorset people. Churchill would have been the most southerly location used by these people. 

The Dorset people are often considered the ancestors of the modern Inuit, but they had distinct cultural traits that set them apart.
 
The Dorset people developed advanced tools, including specialized hunting implements such as harpoons, bone and ivory points, and toggle harpoons for hunting marine mammals. They also created intricate art from bone and ivory. Dorset art is well-known for its detailed carvings and sculptures, which often depicted animals or spiritual motifs.
 
The Dorset culture focused heavily on marine hunting, especially hunting seals, walrus, and whales, as well as fishing. They also hunted land mammals like caribou and gathered plants.
 
The Dorset people lived in semi-subterranean houses and built winter dwellings made of stone and sod, often found in coastal areas to exploit marine resources.


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Click here for more Information about mid passage dwellings
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The Churchill peninsula holds the stories of lives lived.

5/29/2024

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The shoreline of the Churchill peninsula was very different 3000 years ago. In fact, only a small spot of land was not covered with water and the shoreline of  Hudson Bay was 100km inland from that of the present day. 

A seal bone at the Weasel Site (IeKn-27) dates to 3590 years before present (C14 dating). This site is older than the Seahorse Gully Site (IeKn-09) which was occupied as early as 2900 years before present. When occupied, the small island was likely treeless and  it was possibly used a camping spot from which ringed seals were hunted in the late winter early spring. 

These sites, and others on the Churchill peninsula, demonstrate the continuity of Indigenous use of the Land. The people used the Land during a range of seasons over thousands of years to harvest resources and live their lives. The Land holds the stories of these lives. 

In 1994 Virginia Petch recorded the location of the Weasel Site as a result of her work for Manitoba Hydro. The site was partially excavated by Lisa Hodgetts in 2005 and the information and the maps below were published in the Journal of Field Archaeology Vol 3, 2007.
Evidence of other Pre-Dorset sites are also found at Burton Rock and on the north rim of the Seahorse Gully.
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Narratives on the Land

5/12/2024

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A big thank you to the knowledge keepers and community members that came and shared their stories about the Flats and Jockville. We heard about how families came to these places and thrived. A remembrance was that the houses were shelters for eating and sleeping and the Flats and Jockville were beautiful playgrounds for the children in the summer and winter. The areas were surveyed for more streets (the markers are still in the ground) but that development never happened. People moved and were moved from these areas and the houses were disappeared. The stories of resilience and resourcefulness were stirring and warm despite the heavy rain outside.  Thanks to Tim (Frontiers North) for the keeping us warm in the bus. 
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Program Launch

3/4/2024

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What do maps, broken pots, art, artifacts and drone images have in common?
They are all ways of exploring culture heritage.

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WORLD HERITAGE SITE? Churchill’s west peninsula was considered

9/30/2023

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https://www.oceansnorth.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/BN4-FNL_Web.pdf
By Ruth Teichroeb

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New Land-based Learning and Healing Project for Youth to Launch in Churchill

9/30/2023

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https://www.healthandheritagemb.com/connecting-land-health-and-heritage.html
By: Ruth Teichroeb
June 9, 2023
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'Shameful' vandalism of sacred Indigenous site at Bon Echo Provincial Park

9/24/2023

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mazinaw-rock-bon-echo-indigenous-pictographs-vandalism-1.6970103
This is sad to see. No culture heritage site is immune to vandalism - not even in areas that are remote in northern Manitoba.  In 1978, David Meyers photographed  a tent ring on the Churchill Peninsula that had survived intact for generations until recently (I'm thinking the 1960's/early 70's) when someone made a large peace symbol in the tent ring.  

There is a tension between having culture heritage sites available for use and protecting them from vandalism, destruction or culturally inappropriate use.

​Tent rings on the Churchill Peninsula are remnants of historic communities of Inuit, Dene an Cree people who made a living in the area. The communities varied in size, seasonality and function. The sites are places where visitors can reflect on the important relationship between the people and the Land. The sites are places where people were born, lived, and were buried. They were, and are places of ceremony.  
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A tent ring with peace symbol was documented by D. Meyer in 1978.
(The Churchill Archaeological Investigations. August 1978. By David Meyer. Manuscript Report Number 368.)
​http://parkscanadahistory.com/series/mrs/368.pdf
​Photograph by L. Larcombe 2022
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Churchill Gathering August 2023

8/27/2023

 
Ceremony, taking in the culture heritage sites, discussing the vision, tapping into our inner artist.

​A big thank you to Frontiers North, Bear Safe Churchill, Custom Churchill Tours, Sandra Cook Art, Dene Routes, the Wapusk Youth Group and the Churchill Northern Studies Center for helping us make this an awesome gathering!

The first few days of fieldwork

6/28/2023

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​Walking across the tidal flats.

My sweaters and jackets are still in my suitcase. Temperatures at Churchill have been in the low to upper 20 degrees celsius since we arrived. The mosquitos, blackflies and horseflies are as predicted! The landscape is purple with fireweed.

The culture heritage sites that I thought would be easily accessed by vehicle are a 6km hike. But they don't disappoint. They're big and complex. Turns out the water on the tidal flats at Halfway Point is warm and clear.

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New Land-based Learning and Healing Project for Youth to Launch in Churchill

6/5/2023

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Oceans North
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Kayak rest and person rest!
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  • Connecting Land, health and heritage
  • 2026 Gathering - Roots, Resilience and Renewal
  • 2025 Cultural Heritage Awareness Training Program
  • 2025 field season
  • Blog
  • Our stories
  • Graduate Students
  • Publications
  • Contact
  • Project background
  • Partners
  • Other Projects
    • Housing and health
    • Northern HIV Journey Mapping Project