Port au Choix Archaeological Site facts for kids

Port au Choix is a special place on the western coast of Newfoundland, an island in Canada. It's a peninsula, which means it's land almost surrounded by water. People have lived here for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found old burial sites, building remains, and tools. They also found bones from food that people ate long ago.

Where is Port au Choix?

Port au Choix is on the northwest coast of Newfoundland, which is Canada's most eastern island. It sticks out into the ocean like a finger of land. Another smaller piece of land extends from it. This unique shape gives Port au Choix lots of coastline. This makes it a great place for a port city.

A Look Back in Time: History of Port au Choix

Newfoundland island has many natural resources. These resources were perfect for hunter-gatherer people. Different groups of native people lived here for thousands of years.

The First People: Maritime Archaic Indians

The first people to live on Newfoundland were the Maritime Archaic Indians. In 1967, an archaeologist named James Tuck found a very old cemetery. It was at Port au Choix. This cemetery is about 4,400 years old! He found 56 graves there. These graves were between 4,400 and 3,300 years old.

Because of this amazing discovery, Port au Choix became a National Historic Site in 1970. No homes were found near the burial sites. This makes experts think these people buried their dead far from where they lived. We still haven't found any Maritime Archaic Indian homes on Newfoundland. This might be because the sea level has risen a lot. Many old sites could now be under the ocean. The sea level has risen about 13 feet since the cemetery was first used.

The Dorset Paleo-Eskimos

After the Maritime Archaic Indians left, the Dorset Paleo-Eskimos arrived. They started to settle further south in Newfoundland. We have found many Dorset homes on Newfoundland. These homes are about 1,180 to 1,990 years old.

The Dorset people relied a lot on the ocean for food. Seals were especially important to them. The Dorset people lived in Port au Choix for about 700 years. They built many homes there.

Why Did They Leave?

It is believed that the Dorset Paleo-Eskimos left Port au Choix because of global warming that happened long ago. This was around 1,200 years ago. Warmer temperatures caused harp seals to move away from Port au Choix. Seals were a very important part of the Dorset diet.

After the Dorset Paleo-Eskimos left, another group called the Recent Indians moved in. We don't know much about them. Later, the Beothuk people had contact with European settlers. Sadly, the Beothuk people were no longer present by 1829. This marked the end of nearly 5,000 years of native people living in Port au Choix.

Phillip's Garden: An Important Dig Site

One very important place where Dorset Paleo-Eskimo remains are found is called Phillip's Garden. It is on the Port au Choix peninsula. This archaeological site is divided into three areas: Phillip's Garden, Phillip's Garden East, and Phillip's Garden West.

Phillip's Garden is one of the most important discoveries in the area. This is because the remains of old buildings were saved from the rising sea levels. Homes built by Dorset Paleo-Eskimos have been found here. Some date back about 2,140 years ago.

The first time Phillip's Garden was dug up was in 1929. This was done by William Wintemberg from the National Museum of Canada. He found many sites on Newfoundland's Great North Peninsula. Phillip's Garden was the biggest site he found.

Phillip's Garden was not studied again until 1949. That's when Elmer Harp Jr. started digging at Port au Choix. He made many discoveries through the early 1960s. Harp was an expert in Arctic and Paleo-Eskimo history. He was the first to figure out that some things found at Port au Choix belonged to Paleo-Eskimos, not Indians.

What We Found: Artifacts

Many different tools, pottery, and other items have been found at Port au Choix. Tools for working with wood were found in the burial sites. These tools were likely used to build homes and boats.

Phillip's Garden has given us many ancient tools. Along with 50 house sites, thousands of individual items have been found there. Both the Maritime Archaic Indians and Dorset Paleo-Eskimos depended on the sea for food. So, there is a lot of proof of seal hunting at this location.

Archaeologists M.A.P. Renouf and Trevor Bell studied how the Dorset Paleo-Eskimos hunted harp seals. They found that the Dorset people used every part of the animal. The meat was for food, the fat for fuel, and the skin for making clothes and boots.

Who Manages Port au Choix?

Port au Choix is a National Historic Site of Canada. It is managed by several groups. These include native descendants, land owners, and staff from Canada Parks. Local community members also help manage the site.

Images for kids

• Port au Choix Peninsula.jpg

  The Port au Choix peninsula sticking out into the ocean.