In the Woods: The Cow Head Complex Occupation of the Gould Site, Port au Choix

Abstract

This chapter presents Recent Indian Cow Head data from the Gould site (EeBi-42), Port au Choix. The Cow Head complex (hereafter abbreviated to Cow Head) appears to be centred on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland (Fig. 13.1), and its current characterization is based on published material from two Northern Peninsula sites, Spearbank (DlBk-1) (Hartery 2007; Tuck 1978) and Peat Garden (EgBf-6) (Hartery 2007). Material from the recently excavated St. Pauls Bay-2 site (DlBk-6), also on the Northern Peninsula, supports this characterization (Lavers 2009). In addition, Cow Head bifaces have been identified at L’Anse aux Meadows (EjAv-1) (Ingstad 1977) and in two surface collections at Portland Creek Pond (EbBj-4, EbBj-5) (Biggin 1985; Thomson 1987). On the Quebec Lower North Shore, sites comparable to Cow Head (EiBg-85, EiBg-86) are found at the Blanc Sablon River (Pintal 1998). Elsewhere in Newfoundland, individual Cow Head bifaces are identified in Recent Indian contexts at a small number of Bonavista Bay sites (Austin 1980, 1984; Carignan 1975, 1977), and Cow Head projectile points are identified in private collections from three sites near Burgeo (Rast 1998, 1999) (Fig. 13.1).