Water Resources and Precontact Site Placement in Southern Manitoba During the Last 2000 Years

Abstract

In common parlance, the basic necessities of life are water, food and shelter — assuming that air is a given. The inter-relationships of these three variables are complex and there is an obvious need that all are addressed by any society in their strategic land use planning. The spatial relationship of precontact Sonota/Besant, Blackduck/Duck Bay and Vickers focus sites in southern Manitoba is examined with relation to their proximity to water resources, as well as other factors that may playa role in site placement including seasonality, historical factors, environmental context, and culture-specific subsistence strategies. The observed site distribution of each group is compared with a random distribution of points. Results suggest that, while Sonota/Besant and Blackduck/Duck Bay sites are more frequently located near permanent water bodies and streams, Vickers focus sites tend to be located at some distance from permanent water and are more likely located near intermittent water sources. The reasons for these differences in site distribution with respect to water resources are believed to be related to historic subsistence strategies and, possibly, the desire to avoid unwanted visitors.