Solid Evidence

The community of the Heiltsuk Nation was aware of the significance of the excavation which was going on in the Triquet Island. If the expedition was successful, their tales of their ancestors being the first person living in the exact spot since Ice Age would turn out to be true. The oldest evidence which has ever been found regarding their existence dates back to around 7170 BCE. But this discovery was able to take the team much further back in the past. For thousands of years, the Heiltsuk people have been living in these forests, mountains and on this island. They were involved in activities like fishing and smoking salmon. But this discovery changed this perception too about these people.

More Clues

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The conclusion was that these people, whoever they had been, primarily subsisted from eating the meat of large marine mammals, like seals, sea lions, and walruses. But how long ago were they doing this? Could it have been during the Ice Age like the Heiltsuk had said? At the archaeological dig site on Triquet Island, the team had discovered tools that would have been used for hunting. But these spears were so big that it would have been impractical to catch fish with them. What’s more, the island had no land mammals.

Mysterious Shards

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So, basically, it was a remote island and finding these artifacts was really surprising for the archeologists. These burnt pieces found inside the hearth were really delicate which had to be taken out with the help of tweezers. The archeologists later sent those pieces to the lab and waited for the results. The excavation went and reached till the seashore where other astonishing discoveries were made by the team.

Toolmakers

digging triquet island

The results from the lab could tell an intense story about this secretive civilization. Later, the archeologists even found several cutting and woodworking tools which were modeled from obsidian, a type of volcanic glass. But what surprised them the most, the fact that there were has been no evidence of a volcano ever been present in this place. It was believed that these people traveled to this place, by boat, and by land. And the archeologists found even more interesting facts about the people when they made an astonishing discovery at the seashore.

Shedding More Light

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Between the seashore and the parts of the village, archeologists unearthed a pile of trash, which they called a midden. There were several recent remains of marine gardens with stone walls and fishnets with hooks which suggested these researchers that these people’s diet changed with time from big sea mammals to smaller seafood. It was concluded that back then this area had an abundance of food in the area, and these people knew how to properly use them. But then why this site was left abandoned? The answer lies in the past.

An Ancient Disaster

archaeology team hakai institute triquet island canada

The scientists concluded after the evidence which was found in the area that it was true that a civilization existed here but ended after the first tsunami hit the place. There was another theory, that these people did return to this place after several years with varied eating habits. And it was also found out that there have been two tsunamis in this place. And how did the scientists came up to this conclusion? There were two signs of the catastrophe that took place in this area, one 6,700 years old, one 5,600 years old.