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The ancient Athabascans
A brief history of 8,000 years of habitation
By ROLF KRAIKER -- For CANOE
Archeological evidence suggests that the Athabasca Lake region has been inhabited by
people for at least 8,000 years. During that time, climatic fluctuations have had an
impact on the living conditions in the region which in turn altered the traditional
patterns of the inhabitants.
It seems clear that the first visitors to the region were
probably following the herds of migrating caribou which today still over-winter in this area
every year. At one point in time, the cold Arctic climate extended as far south as this
area and the central Arctic Inuit found the region suitable to their needs.
About 2,500 years ago, the treeline began to move farther north again as the climate
warmed. At that time, it is believed that the ancestors of the Dene people who
currently live in northern Saskatchewan moved into the area.
Flint weapon points found by the Kraikers
at an ancient aboriginal settlement site near the Thelon River during a previous expediton.
-- Kraiker family photo
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Lake Athabasca is a huge body of water and spans a signficant distance from east to
west. Archeological evidence suggests that early residents at either end of the lake may
have come from different cultures. On the east end of the lake, caribou-hunting people
occupied the land. On the west side of the lake, the presence of bison meant that people
accustomed to the northern plains cultures could subsist on what the land had to offer.
European fur traders first came to the area in the late 1700s. The first trading posts
were established at the southwest end of the lake, near the Athabasca River. Records don't
indicate if the early traders explored much of the lake and no indications of visits to
the dunes area by the first traders survive today.
The first written records come from a
surveyor for the Hudson's Bay company. Philip Turnor's task was to find out more about
the region in an effort to gain an advantage on the company's rival, the Northwest
Company. There were rumours circulating that Lake Athabasca might provide a route to the
Pacific Ocean.
It wasn't until a century later that pen would be set to paper to describe the sand
dunes. J.B. Tyrell, a well-known Canadian explorer, reported on the region for as part of a paper
commissioned by the Geological Survey of Canada. Another famous Canadian explorer, David Thompson, also
explored the eastern end of Lake Athabasca in the late 1700s.
Debra and Kyle with a caribou antler.
-- Kraiker family photo
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While the sand dune region are a spectacular vision for modern visitors, they
were an unproductive
land for people engaged in subsistance living. It comes as no surprise, then, that
habitation in this area has always been sparse. Today, there are modern communities
along the east, west and north shores of the lake, but no permanent settlements exist
along the south shore.
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Rolf and Debra Kraiker are professional authors, photographers and wilderness guides who own and operate the
Blazing Paddles school of canoe instruction in Shanty Bay, Ontario
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