Palaeo-Indian
Nomadic Hunters
As the Wisconsin continental glaciation retreated northward, the Palaeo-Indians entered the then arctic-like Great Lakes region following herds of big game such as the caribou.
Sparse evidence suggests that these people lived in small, highly mobile, and lightly equipped groups. Archaeological sites may have been repeatedly used to intercept caribou on their annual migrations north through southwestern Ontario and along glacial Lake Algonquin. The herds were followed northward to Georgian Bay where sites are indicative of hunting and camping activities.
Palaeo-Indian sites vary from single artifact occurrences, probably lost in a hunt, to large, sprawling sites consisting of clusters of tools and debris centered around hearths. Artifactsare limited to hunting tools, food/hide processing tools, and wood or bone working tools. Palaeo Indian peoples probably ambushed their game using a thrusting spear.
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