Wanuskewin Heritage Park
Author
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Due Date
Wanuskewin Heritage Park
Canada is a country full of indigenous places through which one can learn the historical context of the people who lived there before the present-day occupation came to happen. Having visited various indigenous places all over the country, my favorite one- the one I never get tired of visiting- is the Wanuskewin Heritage Park. This park gives me a transformative experience as I get a feeling of how life in the olden days (when the indigenous people still used to live or converge near that park) must have been. It gives me wish that I was born back then so I could take part in the various activities that the indigenous people who used to converge in that area used to have. Being a big fan of archeology and always striving to learn more information on that issue, a visit to this park always gives me a feeling of how life must have been long before my birth and how the indigenous people used to live their lives.
I enjoy taking part in some fun activities that include going on a medicine walk and, in turn, appreciate the medicinal prowess of the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies used to possess. Other fun activities that I take part in include sleeping in a tipi as well as taking part in learning art performances. Sometimes, visiting the park makes me feel as if I made the wrong choice for not choosing to major in archaeology since it would have been the surest way through which I could have known more information about such places than I already know. From the Wanuskewin Heritage Park center, I opt to cross over the grassy plain and look at the creek valley below. Once I get here, I opt, closing my eyes in order to feel the wind blowing over my skin. While in that state, it becomes extremely easy for me to start imagining the rich ecosystem that surrounds me as the reason why the nomadic Aboriginal people used to constantly visit this place and carry out various activities such as hunting and gathering. On top of that, I feel like I am in full understanding of the lives that those Aboriginal lives used to live around this site, especially after having a close look at the various archaeological sites that are used as evidence of the early lives of the Aboriginals who used to meet at this place.
A non-profit historical and cultural center of the First Nations, Wanuskewin Heritage Park is a national historic site in Canada. This site is of crucial importance to the country since it is home to archeological evidence that represents almost more than six thousand years in the history of Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies (Zou & Park, 2015). At this site, more than six thousand years ago, people used to gather at this place for various reasons, including bison hunting and gathering of food and various herbs (Indigenous Canada, 2019). On top of that, this site is a representation of where the migratory nations who used to be roaming in the Northern Plains sometimes came to look for shelter from the winter winds. Various sites have been discovered around this area, with most parks dating thousands of years back. On top of that, Wanuskewin Heritage Park is also home to a boulder arrangement that people refer to as “medicine wheel.” This kind of boulder arrangement is uncommon in the whole of Canada since, on the Northern Plains, only less than 100 are still left in existence today.
The whole of Wanuskewin Heritage Park lies on 240 hectares and has 19 sites that are a representation of both the historical and active society of the people from the Northern Plains. Such Northern Plains People consist of Assiniboine, Cree, Atsina , Saulteaux, Blackfoot, and Dakota as well. The site contains various features such as bison kill sites, campsites (for both summer and winter), tipi rings, as well as artifacts that include plant seeds, eggshells, pottery fragments, animal bones, and projectile points (Jimura, 2019). All of those impressive features are found within the compact area that the site covers. Even though Wanuskewin Heritage Park was officially opened in the month of June 1992, there have been lots of scientific investigations in that area. Some of those scientific investigations started as early as the 1930s. However, it is the University of Saskatchewan that is currently in charge of managing all active archaeological research programs in the area. The university has the role of ensuring that the research done at Wanuskewin Heritage Park is operating on the basis that it is sustainable (Stuart & Walker, 2017). The site remains in the guidance and leadership of the First Nations people. It is expected that the site will help in its contribution towards increased public awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the cultural legacy that the used to practice.
References
Indigenous Canada. (2019). Wanuskewin Heritage Park. https://indigenoustourism.ca/things-to-do/wanuskewin-heritage-park/
Jimura, T. (2019). Heritage management and conservation activities at world heritage sites. World Heritage Sites: tourism, local communities, and conservation activities, 20-33. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781786392688.0020
Stuart, G. S., & Walker, E. G. (2017). Pollen and charcoal studies at the wolf willow site, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Saskatoon, Canada. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-017-0639-6
Zou, Q., & Park, E. G. (2015). Restructuring cultural heritage collections in the basic formal ontology. 2015 Digital Heritage. https://doi.org/10.1109/digitalheritage.2015.7419559