TORONTO - Aboriginals say the discovery of an ancient village and 9,000-year-old stone tools on disputed land currently being occupied by Six Nations protesters in Caledonia, Ont., strengthens their claim to the former housing development site.
A dig of around 18 locations on the occupied land uncovered stones left behind by nomadic hunting groups thousands of years ago and the remains of an 800-year-old longhouse, complete with refuse pit, Ontario's Ministry of Culture told The Canadian Press.
"The people who lived at this site would have gone hunting or fishing from the base camp, gathered various wild plants and harvested maize," said ministry spokesman Guy Lepage. "It was a village that sustained people for a season or two."
While the fragments of pottery and ancient stone tools are of interest to some, Lepage said they don't provide any historical revelations. The Grand River area is "well-known" for such discoveries, he said.
"They represent the accumulated debris of day-to-day living," he said. "They're more archeological documents that help tell the story of these ancient peoples."
But to Six Nations protesters who have been camped out on that same land for almost a year, the discovery means much more. The archeological evidence is proof of the historical connection aboriginals have with the disputed land, said Six Nations spokeswoman Janie Jamieson.
While Jamieson said she's convinced there are human remains buried on the site, the Ministry of Culture said no burial grounds or remains have been found.
"It just goes to show you how far back our connection to that territory goes," Jamieson said. "Our connection stems back to our very existence, our creation."
"Our creation began right here. The more studies that are done, as time goes one, the more that's proven."
Federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said it's time Ottawa worked out a swifter way to handle aboriginal land claims. During a stop in Guelph, Ont., Dion said such land disputes should be handled by an independent body that could settle them more quickly.
Right now, land claims take far too long, he said, leading to occupations like the one in Caledonia.
"You have problems that the province has to manage when people are impatient because solutions are not coming," Dion said. "I would strongly encourage the creation of a independent body to solve land claims in Canada."
But some experts doubt even an independent body would see a connection between the archeological findings and the current Six Nations land claim. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, professor of aboriginal studies at the University of Toronto, said the artifacts found at the site aren't likely from Six Nations aboriginals.
They were latecomers to that part of Ontario, she said, and wouldn't have built longhouses there 800 years ago.
"As to it being Six Nations occupied land, I don't see how," Wesley-Esquimaux said. "A lot of historians would argue with you on that one."
The artifacts are more likely from the Huron, who also lived in longhouses in that area centuries ago, she said.
The artifacts, found in digs between 2002 and 2005, are being held in trust while the fate of the land is negotiated. The results of a third archeological dig done last fall are still being compiled, Lepage said.
The Six Nations protesters say the land was wrongly taken from them by the Crown 200 years ago and are negotiating for its return. A spokeswoman for Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Ramsay said she couldn't comment on how the archeological findings would affect current negotiations between Six Nations, the province and the federal government.
The occupation has been tumultuous at times, with clashes between residents and protesters. The occupiers are set to mark their one-year anniversary on the site at the end of February, and say they will stay until the land is returned.
