India Buckert, left, and Emerson Dube have been traveling the province to teach children about archeology. (Image Credit: Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

human history

Archaeological society concludes tour of Northern Sask.

Aug 11, 2026 | 5:05 PM

Two summer students with the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society have been educating northerners in recent weeks about human history in the province.

Emerson Dube and India Buckert were at La Ronge’s Alex Robertson Public Library on Tuesday, having already visited communities such as Buffalo Narrows, Beauval, Dillon, Île-à-la-Crosse and Meadow Lake.

Their presentation gives attendees the opportunity to handle authentic and replica archaeological materials, participate in various activities such as rock art or pottery puzzles, as well as learn what it means to be an archeologist in Saskatchewan.

“We have been trying to steer away from the word ‘artifacts’ and use the word ‘belongings’ because these are the belongings of the people who used to reside here. Some of the points go as far back as 12,000BP (before present). Those are some of the oldest points that are found on the Canadian plains,” Dube explained.

“We have a bunch of fur trade items, especially from post-contact sites. We investigate a lot of these now such as Fort Carlton, Fort Qu’Appelle, and Fort Walsh. You’ll find a lot of this stuff would have been imported from Europe or manufactured and then brought over and traded with Indigenous people.”

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Children are the main demographic of the summer tour and Dube noted they get really excited when they’re shown items like arrowheads and spear points.

“It’s just to show the significance of archeology and that it is more accessible than what people think in that it is present all around us and it is even in our own backyards, too,” Dube added.

“It’s to bring awareness to archaeology in the province and the ancestors of the Indigenous people in the province who were here before. They were very successful technologically and economically, and they not just survived, but they thrived in this area since time immemorial.”

One unique activity northern children were able to participate in was the creation of rock drawings called pictographs. Pictographs can be found along the Churchill River in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“People would use either sticks or their fingers, and they would use substances like charcoal or red ocher mixed with animal fat, water or even berries to make a paint,” Dube said.

The Saskatchewan Archaeological Society will be in Candle Lake and Paddockwood in the coming days.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

by Derek Cornet

Archaeological society concludes tour of Northern Sask.

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