n 1964, on the recommendation of
the Historic Sites
and Monuments Board of Canada,
Kodlunarn Island was designated a site of
national historical importance. However, that was thirty-five years ago,
and for most of those years little was done to research, protect, and
preserve the site.
In 1974, the late Walter Kenyon of the Royal Ontario Museum
determined that the four hundredth anniversary of the Frobisher
saga should not pass unnoticed. To mark the occasion he spent some
two weeks visiting Kodlunarn and neighbouring Frobisher sites. His
subsequent publications recalled the attention of the research and
scholarly community to this long-ago happening.
Under the leadership of
Dr. William
Fitzhugh, the Smithsonian Institution mounted an expedition to the
sites in 1981. He returned
to the sites in 1990. Also in that year, the Canadian Museum of
Civilization funded a brief visit to Kodlunarn Island, resulting
in an assessment by Dr. Charles Arnold, Dr. Robert McGhee, and Dr.
James Tuck. This assessment noted that the Frobisher-related sites
were much better preserved than expected or than had been reported.
The assessment also pointed to the need to put in place a management
system immediately in order to preserve the historical integrity of
the Island, noting the likelihood of increased tourist traffic,
souvenir hunting, random scavenging, natural erosion, and other
factors. The authors of the assessment recommended that
archaeological investigations of the sites should be
"carefully controlled in order to preserve the limited
archaeological resource as well as the quality of the historical
environment. Proponents of research projects should be required to
demonstrate that the proposed work can be expected to result in the
recovery of information which significantly outweighs the detrimental
effects on the sites investigated."
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This assessment galvanized the Canadian Museum of Civilization into
action. In 1990 it took the lead in the establishment of an advisory
committee to recommend to it, and to other interested bodies, the
most appropriate steps to be taken in investigating and preserving
the sites associated with the Arctic expeditions of Martin Frobisher.
This project was called the Meta Incognita Project, recalling the
fact that the first Queen Elizabeth gave the name Meta Incognita,
the Unknown Shore, to the area on which these expeditions focussed.
The advisory committee, soon dubbed the Meta Incognita Project Committee,
was asked to guide the development of a programme of conservation,
research and communication relating to the Frobisher sites, and to
co-ordinate the efforts of institutions and individuals involved in
this work. It was to identify research needs and to promote a better
understanding of Frobisher's activities in the Arctic. The Committee
was also to advise the Government of the Northwest Territories on the
granting of archaeological and scientific permits for research in the
region. It was hoped, too, that the Project would add to the store of
knowledge and understanding about broader environmental, historical
and cultural matters in the region.
To this end, the Meta Incognita Project Committee included
representation from the northern community and from government bodies,
at both the national and territorial levels, which have responsibilities
for archaeological investigation and for site preservation and
development. Over the decade since its inception, the Committee has had
the strong support of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and
the Government of the Northwest Territories, of the emerging Territory
of Nunavut, and of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and
of Parks Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage, as well as of
the Canadian Museum of Civilization. It has had, in addition,
considerable support both from many individuals and from institutions
in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere,
including, most notably, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Much of the ensuing research centred upon Kodlunarn Island, Frobisher's
principal base camp, and on nearby sites with which the Frobisher
expeditions were involved. This began with an archaeological survey
in the summer of 1991, led by Robert McGhee and James Tuck working
on Kodlunarn, and by William Fitzhugh working at other locations
(the latter resumed the following year). Subsequent
expeditions in 1993 and 1994, led by
Dr.
Réginald Auger, investigated particular questions through limited
excavations on Kodlunarn and gathered data on the threat to the island from
erosion or human disturbance.
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Photograph: Robert McGhee
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Excavation of the Ship's Trench in 1993
Photograph: Réginald Auger
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The Meta Incognita Committee recognized from its inception the need for
extensive archival and related work at the sources in Britain to complement
the archaeological, oral history, and other work done on site in Canada.
The Project was extraordinarily fortunate that Sir Ian Gourlay consented
to organize and to lead this operation, assembling a remarkable
group of scholars who together broke much new ground tracing the records and
researching the history and context
of the Frobisher venture.
In the course of its work, the Meta Incognita Committee arranged
or supported a number of gatherings to facilitate the work of
researchers in the field. The principal of these was the
Meta Incognita Symposium held at Trent
University in May 1997, one of the most substantial gatherings of
scholars concerned with the history of the Canadian Arctic yet
assembled. Subsequently, in November 1997 the Committee held
public meetings
in Iqaluit to report on its work to interested members of the community.
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Meta Incognita Committee,
Iqaluit, 1997
Photographs: George MacDonald
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As one of its final acts, the Committee will prepare
recommendations to government agencies regarding future scientific
investigation and the long-term requirements for managing, protecting,
and interpreting the historical sites. These sites are important to
Canada's national heritage and need to be preserved for future generations.
Thomas H.B. Symons, C.C., F.R.S.C.
Chairman
The Meta Incognita Project Committee
October 1999
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