A Study of Possible Prehistoric Wild Rice Gathering on Lake of the Woods, Ontario

Abstract

Archaeological surveys of Lake of the Woods have located about 200 prehistoric sites including Palaeo, Archaic, Middle Woodland (Laurel) and Late Woodland (Blackduck and Selkirk) components. None have contained direct evidence of wild rice usage prehistorically, but this may be due to the archaeological record rather than a real reflection of non-use of wild rice. This article presents a discussion of the palynological record of the area to determine the advent of wild rice and a settlement pattern study of Middle and Late Woodland components in relationship to known wild rice stands. Both Middle and Late Woodland components tend to cluster around wild rice stands. This factor, along with the palynological record, leads to the hypothesis that wild rice was gathered as early as the Middle Woodland period on Lake of the Woods.