Pukaskwa Pit

Pukaskwa Pits are depressions left by early inhabitants[1] by ancestors of the Ojibwa,[2] named after the Pukaskwa River, near Lake Superior. Estimations of the dates of their digging range from between 1100 and 1600 CE on the near end,[1][3] to 3,000 to 8,000 BCE on the far end.[1][2]

Description

These rock-lined pits are dug in cobblestone beaches and are about one to two meters long and one and a half meter deep. Theories about the purpose of these pits range from hunting blinds to food storage pits to spiritual sites. The larger pits or "lodges" may have been seasonal dwellings with domed coverings, hunting blinds or caches for food. The smaller pits may have been used to cook food or smoke fish.[1] The existence of these pits came into academic light in 1949, and was studied by the Royal Ontario Museum, University of Toronto and Lakehead University.[4]

Alternatively, there is nothing in the archaeological record to support the theory that Pukaskwa Pits were used for ceremonial purposes, the "Vision Quest," Thunderbird nest hypothesis is popular and largely due to pit location. Pukaskwa Pits are often located on spots that afford a spectacular, panoramic view of the lake. The semi subterranean dwelling or fish smoking structure theories are unlikely for the same reason, there is never any sign of a hearth or fire cracked rock close at hand. Recently a new theory has emerged that suggests that Pukaskwa pits are “thermal sinks.” They are ice houses or ice boxes depending on the size of the pit. Seasonally beach ice was piled into its along with fish or game to be frozen well into the summer. https://www.academia.edu/37613427/The_Search_For_North_Americas_Oldest_Shipwreck_updated

Pukaskwa National Park

Main article: Pukaskwa National Park

Pukaskwa National Park was established in 1978 to protect a large clustering of these Pukaskwa pits.[5]

Footnotes

1. Chisholm & Gutsche 1998, p. 136-7.
2. Park Wardens 2013.
3. Linder 2006.
4. Breining 2000.
5. Encyclopædia Britannica 2011.

References

• Breining, Greg (2000), Wild Shore: Exploring Lake Superior by Kayak, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-3142-5
• Chisholm, B.; Gutsche, A (1998), Superior: Under the Shadow of the Gods, Toronto: Lynx Images, ISBN 0-9698427-7-5
• Pukaskwa National Park, 28 November 2011, retrieved 8 November 2014
• Linder, Douglas O. (2006), "History of Lake Superior, A Timeline", Simply Superior: The World's Greatest Lake, archived from the original on 25 April 2006, retrieved 8 November 2014
• "The Mysterious Pukaskwa Pits and Other Cultural Sites on Lake Superior", Park Wardens, 2013, retrieved 8 November 2014