Phytolith Analysis at Wanuskewin Heritage Park

Over the past 40 years, archaeological investigations at Wanuskewin Heritage Park (WHP) have revealed an unusually high concentration of archaeological sites dated to the Middle Precontact period (6000-2000 BP). Despite extensive documentation and discussion of past human lifeways within the park, to date it remains unclear why WHP was such a favoured locale. It has been suggested the valley encompassed by the park may have served as an ecological island drawing groups in from the surrounding area. Phytoliths represent an opportunity to study the presence and composition of past vegetation, particularly grasses, in order to make inferences on past climatic conditions. The main objective of this thesis is to present a preliminary paleoenvironmental record of WHP based on the analysis of grass short-cell phytolith data from six archaeological sites within the park. This research focused on grass short-cell phytoliths as this type of analysis is particularly useful on the Northern Plains, which is dominated by a grassland environment. The phytolith morphological data was supplemented by the analysis of stable carbon isotopes from carbon occluded within phytoliths. The analysis of δ13C values supplemented the grass short-cell morphological data and included information on the entire phytolith assemblage which likely included deciduous trees and shrubs, as well as grass taxa. The analysis of δ13C values and radiocarbon dates from phytoliths are relatively new procedures. This research project presented an opportunity to test the accuracy of radiocarbon dates obtained from phytoliths. The final objective of this thesis is to place the local paleoenvironmental data from WHP within the broader paleoenvironmental context of the Northern Plains. The data collected here suggest that overall, the post-5000 BP environmental record at WHP fits well with data collected elsewhere in Saskatchewan