Stone by Stone: Exploring Ancient sites on the Canadian Plains

Michael Payne is the City of Edmonton archivist and the co-author of A
Narrative History of Fort Dunvegan.

Public interest in archaeology remains very high, but most Canadians
think of Greece, Rome, Egypt, or even Central and South America when
they think of ancient sites. Hundreds of Canadian tourists visit
Chichén-Itzб and the Acropolis every year, while sites of equal or
greater antiquity across Canada are almost totally unknown and rarely
visited. Archaeologists encourage this to some extent, since keeping
sites unknown and unmarked helps to protect them from vandalism and
pothunters. Nevertheless, the result is that most Canadians have a
better idea of what Egyptian hieroglyphics look like than a Napi effigy.

This book provides a guide to many truly fascinating archaeological
sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It notes which sites are open to
visitors and when they can be visited, along with clear maps to get you
to what are often quite out-of-the-way locations. None of the sites
mentioned in this book are too sensitive or threatened to visit.
However, as Bryan points out again and again in the text, it is never
okay to remove souvenir rocks from medicine wheels or to rearrange their
spokes into straighter lines.

The author has previously written a well-received introduction to
Canadian Plains archaeology aimed at general readers. This guidebook
reflects her desire to present archaeological evidence and insights on
buffalo jumps, medicine wheels, vision quest and rock art sites without
the technical jargon and sometimes obscure arguments that can
characterize scholarly writing. Each site is described in detail, and
the major conclusions reached by archaeologists about the significance
of the site are outlined.

The photographic illustrations give a powerful sense of place. The best
aspect of the guidebook, however, is that the author offers a personal
story or two about her experiences at most sites. The result is a little
like a vicarious visit to each with a knowledgeable interpretive guide.

As the book makes clear, however, there really is no substitute for
seeing a ribstone in its centuries-old place on a windswept hill
overlooking a sea of prairie grasses. So keep this guidebook in your
car’s glovebox, and visit a few buffalo jumps and ancient campsites.
You will never again see Canada again as a young country or believe that
it lacks history.