Petit Mécatina – Hare Harbour

	\|\|\| St. Lawrence Gateways Project \|\|\|

Petit Mécatina—Hare Harbour-1


The 'T' trench reveals the extent of the S-1 floor







Square iron spike 3.6 cm in length









HH-1: Test pit 4 ceramics

Bill and Matt Gallon begin excavating the grassy surface of Structure 1

Later that day, we steamed around the southern tip of Mécatina to begin work on the Basque site, designated as Hare Harbour-1. In 2002, our task was to establish a GPS benchmark for beginning a surveyed map of the site. After putting down a grid to plot in finds, we laid out two trenches in a "T" pattern to explore a promising area where test pits had produced Basque artifacts, and 20cm below the surface, we found what appeared to be a rough slab floor.

Bill and Matt Gallon begin excavating the grassy surface of Structure 1

In the 2002 test trenches, the black soil above the pavement produced quantities of red clay roof tiles, an assortment of large iron spikes, various types of glass and ceramics, clay pipe fragments, a chunk of European flint, gunflints, flint fire-starters, large amounts of charcoal, and the corner of a soapstone lamp with charred blubber encrustation.

A weathered piece of European flint

While Vikings who explored this region occasionally used soapstone for lamps, the Basque did not. Indeed, the fragment closely resembled lamps used by Labrador Inuit in the 1600s. But what was it doing in a Basque site 200 km west of the Inuit occupation boundary at Blanc Sablon?

Flint fire-starter

Our 2002 visit constituted a field test of endurance and patience: swarms of midges, black flies, and mosquitoes attacked us. The one exception to this harassment was when it rained, but then the excavations became mud holes.

Workshop floor at end of 2002 season, with large hearth area at bottom

After ten days of digging at Hare Harbour-1, we covered our trenches with a blue tarpaulin and tossed back in the earth we had carefully dug and sifted for days. When we returned in early August of 2003, we found the site in excellent condition and were able to quickly remove the dirt above the tarp, it was almost as though we had never left the site. The accompanying photos show the progress over the 2002–2003 seasons.

Alyssa Fisher's pit outside the shelter's drip line was a bit challenging in the rain, But hey! No bugs!

S-1 excavation floor showing site layout with ledge to left and cliff shelter, 2003

In 2003 we continued to find many of the same materials recovered in 2002 iron spikes, tiles, grey stoneware, pipe fragments, and faience earthenware with colorful glazed decoration. We also uncovered interesting new objects like earthenware strap handled pots (some with decorative panels), an iron spear point, a lead weight for a jigger or fishing line, sharpening stones, a thick iron shaft resembling a rudder pin, large and small glass beads of various colors, small amounts of whale bone and baleen, and a fragment of a rectangular Inuit cooking pot—the second Inuit vessel to be recovered from the floor of the workshop.

View of the S-1 floor at the end of the 2003 excavation season

Despite the progress of the excavation, several major mysteries remain. One was the absence of whale remains and blubber ovens that are the signature mark of 16th century Bazque sites in the Straits and Gulf. It was possible they lay buried under rock-fall from the cliff or were located off-sie, but as research progressed their absence became increasingly notable.

Fragment of weathered baleen

Volunteer Christine Vatcher contends with mud and bugs

Decorated pipe stem

Another surprise was the presence of glass beads and clay pipes that appeared to date as much as a century later than the mid-16th century sites of Red Bay. Could there be two different occupation periods of Basque occupation? This seemed unlikely, since these materials were found together with tiles and other materials embedded in a single cultural stratum a few centimeters thick right above the floor of the workshop.

Spear or harpoon point

The third and most puzzling mystery was the function of the workshop. Its roughly paved floor and abundant iron spikes, tiles, and charcoal suggested an industrial rather than a domestic activity. The large rock-ringed hearth near the south side of the structure appeared to have a special function; it was a large open-centered feature and had a carefully-laid pavement 30 cm below the level of the surrounding floor. Could this have been the furnace for a crew's cook-house?

Green bottle glass

Grooved fish hook sharpening stone and musket ball

Finally, there is the puzzle of the Inuit soapstone fragments. Recovery of Inuit artifacts raises questions about an Inuit presence. Glass beads, clay pipe fragments, and baleen may be important chronological and functional markers suggesting a shift from the 16th century-economy based on whale oil to a focus on baleen, which was becoming popular in Europe for corset staves, and Native trade. The presence of an oil lamp and cooking pot, usually associated with Inuit women, raises the question of whether Inuit women were actually part of the Basque team at Mécatina. Interestingly, while returning home on the Nordik Express, Anja Herzog met residents from Tête-à-La-Baleine, a village located just east of Mécatina, who recalled that Hare Harbour was once known as L’Anse aux Esquimaux (Eskimo Bay).

Based upon these artifact finds, it seems likely that Hare Harbour was not a 16th century blubber-rendering site like Red Bay or other Gulf Basque stations, but was more likely a 17th century Basque site for hunting, fishing, and trading with the Innu.

Lead sinker for jigger hook or fishing line weight

Stoneware pot assembled by Anja Herzog

Fragments of decayed whale bone

Previous

Next

Home