UNBC archeological students have unearthed more than 200 ancient First Nations artifacts along with an “earth oven” believed to have heated and cured rock useful in making tools and weapons.
The dig west of Fort St. James, led by Farid Rahemtulla, UNBC anthropology professor, is an ancient village site of the Nak’azdli Band, whose members selected it based on oral history.
The site on the south shore of Stuart Lake could be from several hundred to several thousand years old, and pieces of charcoal found in various locations will be used for radiocarbon dating to determine when it was an active village, said Rahemtulla.
The 13-member student team, which includes members of the Nak’azdli Band, discovered dozens of stone tools and more than 100 stone flakes that indicate tools were manufactured at the site. A number of cultural depressions dotting the site may have been used for cooking, food storage or heating rock.
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