True North: Strong and Free

This summer, I will be spending two months in the wild wild north, excavating what I feel to be the coolest archaeological site in Canada.   Over the past week, my travels have brought me to the west coast of Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver before arriving in Whitehorse for the first week of my adventure.   My journey to date has inspired sentiments which seem to transcend boundaries separating time and space in more ways than one.

I follow a route which Canada herself has traveled.  In the context of recent historical developments of this nation, which began in the east and moved westward, it is extremely humbling to consider the notion that the evolution of this nation is still within the living memory of individuals alive today.  Individuals who have experienced technological and social change beyond the grasp of my imagination.

Leaving the traffic, commerce, and bustle of southern Ontario behind,  I begin the process of removing the blinders I often wear when feeling the overwhelming buzz of "modern" life.  Time begins to slow as mountains meet ocean with a breathtaking presentation of natural beauty.   A flight to Vancouver was followed by a considerably convenient ride on the Sky Train - Toronto take note - proper public transit from the airport to downtown is a beautiful thing!!!  

My disembarkation from the Canada Line created an experience of displacement.  As I climbed the stairs up to Waterfront station in Vancouver, it felt as if I were back in Toronto.  Designed and created in "railway gothic" style, Waterfront Station bears a striking resemblance to Union Station - and brought me to an unusually familiar space, although knowingly in a new place.

This trick of space and time caused me to reflect on the development of Canadian connectivity as some part of me, which is aware that space and time fit into a larger cycle of comings and goings not restricted by calendrical time, takes in the historical relevance of the trans continental development of our country with inspiring wonder.

I take a deep breath of air as I imagine traveling by rail from Halifax to Vancouver through a network of stations such as these, which at the time of their construction, would have been some of the grandest examples of art, architecture and technology in all of Canada.  Dreams of Fairmont hotels and dining cars offer me a reflection of what life must have been like at the turn of the 20th century when travel was much more of a privilege that it is seen to be today.

I harness this sentiment and am thankful for the opportunity which I have today as a Canadian woman to travel this land and explore the sentiments of what it truly means to be Canadian.

After a short but wonderful lay-over in Vancouver (love you my favorite brother), my flight to Whitehorse was met with sincere anticipation.  Having never been above the 60th parallel, the experience which I looked to foremost was the simple sight of the midnight sun! 

My first impression of Yukon is its inspiring quality of nature - its stillness, its consistency, and its dependability.  In Whitehorse, time slows.  Cars brake in the middle of the street to allow pedestrians to cross.  No one is in a hurry to get anywhere further than where they currently are.  It is a place where people seem to think naturally of others before themselves.

I have found that motivation in the Yukon finds a more personal way to inspire drive.  Rather than a race to conquer, to compete, to collect; motivation seems to inspire personal development and growth.  As time slows and voices recede into the background, space becomes available for my internal voice to sound clear. 

This place seems to possess a certain power which allows for the abandonment of self consuming thoughts, while at the same time reminding us of an innate ability to feel rooted and at home in the natural wonders of the great and wild north country.  It has a semblance of what I imagined Canada to stand for as a young person: "The true north strong and free".

The activities of our first week in Whitehorse were in preparation for our archaeological field work in Beaver Creek, which will begin next week.  Morning lectures were followed by class trips and hands-on practical experience.

The Beringia museum provided a cultural and historical framework which demonstrated the unique nature of Beringia from an anthropological, geological and paleontological perspective.  Giant ground sloths, giant beavers, camels, horses and wooly mammoths were among the mega-fauna which roamed these hills when most of Canada was covered in 3 kilometers of ice and snow.

Here we learned the technique of atlatl throwing - a tool which was used by early humans to increase the effectiveness of spear throwing in order to hunt these creatures with greater speed and accuracy.  I tried my arm at it and was successful in spearing a wooden camel cut-out (I may or may not have been aiming at it).  It was loads of fun!!

The following day we visited the MacBride Museum in Whitehorse where we saw examples of Indigenous art - some of the most beautiful bead and leather work I have ever seen. Highlights also included an exhibit on Yukon archaeology, Yukon wildlife, and of course the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.  

The Gold Rush inspired the displacement of adventurous and pioneering-spirited people from various destinations down south as gold fever caused many to search fervently for hidden treasure. I can't help but consider the Victorian era women who came up here at the end of the 19th century,  bringing with them some of the comforts of home: society hats and lace trimmed gloves, along with chaise lounges and confectioneries; in order to retain some form of their unique cultural identity.

Our third afternoon was spent at the Yukon Heritage Resources Department of Tourism and Culture where we had the privilege of viewing some remarkable paleontological and archaeological collections.  On the archeological side, beads and tools ranged from a few hundred years to several thousand years in age.   Some of the more remarkable specimens included spear points attached to shafts with sinew (one was over 3,000 years old) which bore a remarkable similarity to harpoons; and 1,200 year old moccasin skins, which were preserved in low oxygen environments created by high altitude ice fields. 

The final two days of field preparation was spent learning the ins and outs of total station equipment in order to prepare us for the meticulous task of survey and spatial analyses at the Little John site. 

This week of activity demonstrated the cultural and historical complexity of the Canadian north and wet my appetite for the following weeks when we will be uncovering material which was laid to rest over 10,000 years ago.

I am inspired by the past.  Both my own, and the cultural and historical past of the people who have lived on this land for many hundreds and thousands of years.

I am also inspired by the future.  By our potential to be greater than our previous selves and to bring about changes which inspire others to reach greater heights.

As I begin this journey, I am inspired by the first Canadians.  Both those who landed on this land in the latter part of the second millennium and those who arrived over 10,000 years ago.