Wood charcoal remains from the Lockport site, Manitoba

Abstract

Wood charcoal remains were analyzed from the Lockport site located along the Red River in southern Manitoba. Three research objectives included: (1) an investigation of charcoal quantification by comparing the wood taxa recovered within size categories; (2) a comparison of wood composition within features to indicate wood use; and (3) a comparison of the wood recovered from the Blackduck, Laurel, and Larter occupations to test if there was a change in wood use and the forest composition through time. Charcoal was randomly collected and identified from features and general level samples. A catchment analysis of the modern vegetation around the site detailed the range of woody species that may have been available. The use of wood by historic Native groups in the region was also reviewed. The Lockport charcoal was compared with charcoal recovered from similar archaeological sites. A flow model for wood was presented as a framework for interpreting archaeological charcoal. The biases of differential fragmentation were reduced when charcoal was sampled from a number of contexts and when the calculations were based on frequency (occurrence) instead of abundance (number of fragments). In general, the charcoal recovered from the features reprented the remains of fuel. The occupants of the Lockport site appeared to have reandomly selected wood from the surrounding forests, except possibly the conifer recovered from the Blackduck occupation. The charcoal evidence indicated that there was little change in the forest compostion through time at the Lockport site.