The Canadian Museum of Civilization Presents Kichi Sibi: Tracing Our Region's Ancient HistoryHull, Quebec, June 20, 2001 — The ancient history of the Ottawa River Valley will be featured in the new Canadian Museum of Civilization exhibition, Kichi Sibi: Tracing Our Region's Ancient History, on display in the William E. Taylor Research Gallery from June 22 to May 26, 2002.
Kichi Sibi, which means "Great River" in Algonquin, provides a glimpse of the ancient history of the Ottawa River Valley through a number of artifacts found in the region. Picnickers, tourists, farmers and amateur archaeologists discovered these objects over the last 150 years and donated them to the Museum. "The generosity and diligence of these amateur researchers, together with their care in conserving the past, have enabled us now to describe the history of the region during the 8,000 years before the arrival of the Europeans," said Dr. Jean-Luc Pilon, Curator of Ontario Archaeology at the CMC. "Kichi Sibi: Tracing Our Region's Ancient History will give visitors an opportunity to learn more about the way of life of those who were here before us, and to marvel at the archaeological record of the past."
Artifacts found throughout the Ottawa River Valley provide evidence that Aboriginal people lived here for nearly 8,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. The numerous artifacts in the exhibition are from 10,000 to several hundred years old: fossils, spearheads, pipes, tools, hooks, needles, pendants, vases, etc. Most of these artifacts were donated to the CMC, beginning in the late nineteenth century, while some are on loan from the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Perth Museum.
The Kichi Sibi exhibition also presents some of the amateur archaeologists who painstakingly searched for and conserved these traces of the past.- Gordon D. Watson (1915- ) was born in Rouleau, Saskatchewan. He is best known for his digs in the Rideau Lakes and Constance Bay regions. Now more than 85 years old, he still oversees excavations in the Kingston region. In 1975, he retired from his job as research scientist with the Ministry of National Defence and went back to school to earn a Master's in Anthropology. He is currently an associate researcher at Trent University and the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
- George N. Gogo (1907-1995), a native of Cornwall, Ontario, is known for his discovery of Late Paleo-Indian artifacts and his research on sites from various cultural periods, including several well-known St. Lawrence Iroquois sites.
- Clyde C. Kennedy (1919-1987), born in Trail, B.C., was very active in the Ottawa heritage community and was one of the founding members of the Ottawa Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Society. He is recognized for his discoveries from the Archaic period near Pembroke, Ontario and for research and digs on sites in the middle corridor of the Ottawa River.
- T. W. Edwin Sowter (1860-1932), born in Aylmer, Quebec, identified a number of sites around Lac Deschênes, between Hull/Ottawa and Constance Bay. Although most of his archaeological collections have disappeared, the articles that he published are as important as the artifacts themselves.
While urban expansion over the past two centuries has destroyed much of the archaeological record, the work of amateur archaeologists in the Ottawa River Valley helped raise the awareness of regional governments about this legacy. As a result, archaeological research must now precede any significant regional development where archaeological potential is suspected.
Fortunately, artifacts from some ancient sites in the region were not lost. Visitors to Kichi Sibi: Tracing Our Region's Ancient History will be able to discover the rich and varied past of the Ottawa River Valley.
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