An Ancient Archeological Site on the 

 Lower St Lawrence 1 



By Frank G. Speck 



j|N June, 191 5, while making inquiries among the survivors 

 of the Tadousac band of Montagnais at Tadousac, P. Q., 

 I learned from the natives that stone implements had been 

 found upon a high sandy hill, known locally as Cote de 

 Sable, overlooking the village. Although the assertion 

 seemed preposterous at first, I decided to investigate, because the 

 finding of artifacts at such a height and at such a distance from the 

 river would offer material for an interesting problem. My interest 

 was aroused, moreover, by the fact that archeological material from 

 this general area is exceedingly rare. The problems concerned in the 

 lower St Lawrence region are these: (1) To what extent did the 

 Iroquois anciently occupy the lower river? (2) How far up did the 

 Eskimo formerly range? (3) Was there another group of people in 

 this region before it was inhabitediby historic tribes, and, if so, were 

 these related in any way to the Beothuk of Newfoundland or to those 

 responsible for the so-called "red-paint" burials in New England? 

 (4) How far and how anciently did the present inhabitants, the Mon- 

 tagnais, occupy the northern shore? 



The first two questions should not be difficult ones to settle with 

 an adequate accumulation of archeological material and the exami- 

 nation of sites. The last (4), also should not be particularly difficult, 

 although the acculturation of Eskimo features of life by the Mon- 

 tagnais as the latter emerged from the interior to the coast might 

 lead to confusion in identifying implements. In regard to the third 

 question, however, we meet with difficulty from several points, the 

 first being actually to establish an identity for a people who are known 

 only by one tribe, the Beothuk, which had become practically extinct 

 before anything had been learned in detail of its language or culture. 

 The general supposition that Beothuk may be a divergent, early 

 eastern Algonquian branch, which is indeed suggested by some 

 historical and linguistic conclusions, would correlate the question in 

 the St Lawrence region with that of the northern New England 



1 Published with the permission of the Geological Survey of Canada. 

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