Canada's only on-going excavation and reconstruction of a prehistoric village retraces the steps which 1,500 Neutral Iroquoians trod five hundred years ago when they thrived in this village of elm longhouses and cedar palisades. Their resourcefulness and skill is evident from the artifacts unearthed by archaeologists who have carefully pieced together the clues of their existence.
The spirit of the Neutrals' past whispers up from the smoke of a hearth in the longhouse, evoking for you the vision of life as it was for these early inhabitants of Ontario.
Reconstruction of the Palisade and of a Longhouse began in July, 2007.
Below are some of the things you will see on a visit to the Lawson Prehistoric Iroquoian Village Site.
1)
The Palisade
The Palisade completely surrounded and enclosed the site like a stockade of a European style fort.
2) The Earthwork
The structure that is visible here is a long narrow mound of earth. It is what remains visible above ground of the original palisade support system marking the western end of the core area village.
3) The Expansion Area/Disturbed Area
This part of the site is approximately 0.4 hectare (1 acre) in size and is an expansion of the village added on after the establishment of a core village.
This portion of the site unfortunately was ploughed starting in the late 1800's. Therefore, it is also called the "disturbed" area.
4) The Garden/Subsistence
Planted here are all the major cultivated crops grown by the village inhabitants. Corn, beans, and squash, known as "The Three Sisters" formed the basis of the diet.
5) The Longhouse
Longhouses are reconstructed according to the floor plan recovered by excavation and the historic descriptions of Native houses.
6) The Bluff
The erosive actions of the Medway River on one side of the site, and the Snake Creek on the opposite side, created these high, steep banks.
7) Excavation Demonstration Area (May-September)
Ongoing archaeological excavation and research can be seen during the summer months.
8) Mortar and Pestle
Native people used a mortar and pestle such as these recreations. Being made of wood of course, the originals used on the site have long since rotted away.
9) The Core Area/Undisturbed Area
This area is about 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres) in extent. It is estimated that there are 20 to 25 houses in the area which would have had a population of about 1,000 to 1,500 people.
10) Storage Pits
Because this part of the site was never ploughed, some features of the village are still visible as depressions on the surface.
11) Eastern Limit of the Site
This point marks the eastern limit of the site.
