FINANCING
THE DREAM

INTERPRETIVE
CENTRE

PROJECT
THEMES

Project Themes

Major Theme

The major theme is the cultural history of the Rainy River corridor, as based on the evidence from the Manitou Mounds. The theme would cover a time frame from the earliest occupation, approximately 3000 BC, until the early 20th century. The culture of each of the successive groups of people, that can be recognized from the archaeological evidence at the site, would bedescribed. These people include the Archaic, Laurel, Blackduck, Selkirk, Wanikan and Ojibway people.

Sub Themes

Significant aspects of the major theme will be supported by several inter-relatedsub-themes.

• Material culture through time
• Subsistence adaptations through time
• Manitou Mounds as a ceremonial centre
• Manitou Mounds in a North American context
• The culture of the Ojibway people

Each of these themes is treated as aseparate but related component in the interpretive centre.

Material Culture Through Time:

This sub-theme indicates how the material culture (ie. the ceramic, stone and otherartifacts of the people) changed through time. It also describes how the different groups of people at the Manitou Mounds site can be identified from the archaeological artifacts. The development of mound-building as a significant element in the culture of the Laurel and Blackduck people was probably accompanied by a similar sophistication in other areas of material culture, which will be described in this sub-theme.

Subsistence Adaptation Through Time:

This sub-theme describes why the Rainy River corridor has been an important and attractive area to the native people for the past 5,000 years. The sub-theme explains the richness of the natural environment, which produced a diverse and dependable range of natural resources, and describes how these resources were used for food and other necessities without wasting or depleting them.

Manitou Mounds as a Ceremonial Centre:

This sub-theme focuses on the most visible and dramatic features at the site-the mounds. The sub-theme explains how the Manitou Mounds have been an important ceremonial centre during several different eras and for several groups of people, and describes how the mounds reflect the religious beliefs and socio-political systems of the people(s) who built them. The use of ceremonial goods as indicators of social status is presented. The sub-theme also describes the strategic location of the Manitou Mounds site on major transportation routes, and how this location has facilitated the movement of people and the exchange of ideas over the centuries.

Manitou Mounds in a North America Context:

This sub-theme examines the mound-building phenomenom in other parts of North America. The regional significance of the Manitou Mounds in comparison with other mounds sites, particularily those in Ontario and in adjacent Minnesota, is explained. In particular, the relationship of the Manitou Mounds site and its people to the widespread trading network of the mound-building Hopewell people in Ohio is also explored.

The Culture of the Ojibway People:

This sub-theme describes the culture of the Ojibway people, including their participation in the fur trade and the subsequent transition to the 20th century. In particular, it will be noted that the mounds are of and cultural significance.

Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung
Manitou Mounds
Historical Centre

The site area consists of over 3 km of shoreline and Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowland mixed hardwood forest and oak savannah, with at least 29 habitation sites, covering a time span of over 5,000 years, and 15 burial mounds attributable to the Laurel culture (300 BC - 1,100 AD) and the Blackduck culture (AD 800 - 60). The site is considered by Parks Canada to be one of the best possible candidates for national commemoration; the archaeological resources are in an almost pristine environmental setting; while they have been tested archaeologically, the sites are mostly intact; the resources are mostly intact and varied in time; burial mounds of monumental proportions dominate the landscape throughout the site area and attestto the skill and efforts of their builders; and, except for one particular site, 20th century land use patterns have not had significant impact on the archaeological resources.

In 1969, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizing the importance of the sites and mounds to Canadian history, recommended to the Minister responsible for Parks Canada:

“that the Rainy River Mounds site be declared of national historic importance and that the Minister be requested to enter into an agreement with the Province of Ontario with a view to acquiring the Rainy River Mounds as a national historic park”

The Minister declared Manitou Mounds a national historic site in 1970, and the HSMBC re-affirmed its earlier recommendation in 1975.

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