THE — ''ir]"{'*^ 
 
 Archaeology of Ssugog Islaed. 
 
 A PAPER READ BEFORE THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE, 
 
 JANUARY I2TH, 1889, BY 
 
 A. F. CHAMPERLAIN, B. A. 
 
 Ill 
 
 In the month of August last, the writer paid a visit to the Mississa^ua settlement on §cu- 
 gog Island, Lake Scugug, for the purpose of obtaining some accurate and tirst-hand information 
 regarding the history, folk-lore and language of the small band ot Indians resident at that point. 
 While there, he was enabled U> obtain a number of archaeolc^ical specimens and with these the 
 present paper is concerned. 
 
 The basin of the chain of inland lakes between Lake Simcoe and the Bay of Quinte has 
 been the scene of many conflicts between the Viississaguas (and Ojebways) and their hereditary 
 enemies the Iroquois (Mohawks). Many spots have been pointed out where the Ojebways and 
 Mohawks, typical representatives ot the great Algonquin and Iriquois races, fought many a 
 bloody tight, and even to-day the Indians tell in story the deeds of their combative forefathers ; 
 from the Miississaguas one can learn how in the past they broke the might of the Iroquois, and 
 advancing into what is now the province of Ontario, settled there and were its chief possessors 
 when the English came to occupy it in the closing years of the l8th century. For some time 
 alter this, occasional forays took place, a party of Mohawks burned an Ojehway village or vice- 
 versa, but the power of the Ir&quois was gone although their name (in Mississagua, Natowe) 
 still has to the Oj«bway ear a terrible sound. 
 
 The shore of Sturgeon Lake (connected with Lake Scugog by the Scugog river) is said to 
 have been the scene of many battles between the Ojebways and the Mohawks, particularly at 
 liald Point and at Sturgeon Point. 
 
 At these places lodiaa burial grounds existed, which no doubt have long since been rifled 
 of their valuable contents. A'amgisAiokt {Mrs. Bolin) one of the most intelligent Indians at 
 Scugog,. informed me that Oak Orchard, Sturgeon Point was in ancient times the site of a Mo- 
 hawk encampment and that large numbers of relics have been found there. The Mohawks also 
 visited .Scu(;og Island in the past. Mrs. Bolin showed me a spot — a gravelly point — about a 
 mile from the Indian village, where, some time ago the washing away ot the earth had expoited 
 an earthen kettle which was sutisequently destroyed. The kenle, she said, was somewhat differ- 
 ent in make to those of her people, and she attributed it to the Mohawks. 
 
 In .1 farmer's field opposite the Indian village, Mrs. Bolin's son George found a beautiful 
 white arrow head, since lost. 
 
 Some twenty years ago a grave was opened in the township of Cartwright opposite the end 
 of Scogog Island, from which a kaife and other relics were obtained. These Mrs. Bolin had 
 seen and said the interment was no doubt made by some of her people. 
 
 > In a hollow on the right-hand side of the road from Scugog to Port Perry (it is not known 
 exactly where) an Indian chief of some distinction lies buried. When dying, he exclaimed that 
 the " thunders " weie coming after him. 
 
 » On several farms on the Island relics have at various times been discovered ; but little care 
 having been taken of them, they have been mostly lost or destroyed. 
 
 Luckily, however, in a conversation with Mrs. Holin, I learned that Mr. Stevens, a 
 
farmer on Nonquon Island was the potsessor of some Indian ^eiics and curiosities, sn, early th 
 next morning I started for his house which is a short distance irom Scutjog Post Office. 
 
 Nonquon Island (the Indian name is Minis-i-tioneon — " woods all in one-spot-island "), is 
 not now insular, although it was once so. It is a small area of land situated to the wrst uf 
 Scugog Island from which a marsh (now dry) separates (or rather separated) it. This marsh 
 was once sufficient to insulate the piece of land and hence the name "island " which it still 
 bears. 
 
 Mr. Albert C. Stevens, who is a well-to-do and intelligent farmer is the only resident (ex« 
 cept the members of his own family) upon the island, which constitutes his farm. 
 
 Mr. Stevens after showing me the relics which he kept in the house (and which are now 
 before th« meeung), told me that he had formerly had about a bushel of them, but that they had 
 been lost or given away until these only were left. He did not seem at all disposed to part 
 with what remained, but at last I induced him to make them over to me for a small monetary 
 consideration and they will now, I hope, be saved from the mere curiosity hunter and pre>erved 
 for the benefit of bcience. 
 
 Mr. Stevens showed me over his property and described as well as he could recollect the 
 positions in which the various relics had been found. He had been on the island for alxjut four 
 years and every year he had come across some Indi.nn remains. In his oat field, which lies to 
 the north of the house, he had in all ploughed up some fifteen Indian graves. Not all ol the 
 graves, however, contained relics, although all had skeletons in them. Two contained bodies 
 that lay head to head, east and west. Four bodies weie buried side by side in a row tunning 
 east and west. Two only were turned north and .south. All the skeletons but these, according 
 to Mr. Stevens' recollection were laid east and west. Of the skeletons, three or four were evi- 
 dently those of young persons or children. A few, in particulir, were remarkably large. Mr. 
 Stevens said that the jawbone of one which he had kept for some time was Quite abnormal in 
 sice. 
 
 Most of the graves were situated on a knoll in the field of oats, overlooking the lake, and 
 not far from the shore. A few, however, were on another knoll some distance to the north. 
 In reply to a question, Mr. Stevens stated that he had not noticed any evidence of mound 
 burial O.I his farm : the skeletons were simply interred with the earth pretty level over them. 
 He also said that he had found no evidence of connection with the whites, in the rraves. 
 There was no iron, nor any articles of European m.inufacture, nr.r anything that would lead one 
 to suppose that the Indians to whom the interments belong, had entered into relations with 
 white men. 
 
 In one grave, only, he found that the Ixidy (before the earth was deposited upon it) had 
 been covered with roughly split pieces of wood, now decayed, but not beating traces of Euro* 
 pean workmanship. 
 
 In only three of the graves had relics been found. The corpse in the grave from which 
 the greater number were obtained had the black chi$el-like stone (MX) on his breast ; the 
 other relics lettered M, were found under his head around the body. The relics obtained from 
 this grave were as follows : hard black stone chisel (M x): copper chisel ; seven arrow heads of 
 various sizes ; a flat green shuttle-stone (?) (broken in two), with the three holes, the centre one 
 causing the break, smooth on one side only, indented like a comb at one end, and bearing traces of 
 such indentation at the other which is partly broken off ; two long triangular shuttle-stone8(?),one 
 rather thick, with two holes in central portion, the other, thinner, unperforated and broken off 
 at the wider end ; part cl the bowl ind part ol the stem of a brown stone pipe ; one piece (now 
 broken into two) ol plumbago, used probably for a pigment ; one large bone awl ; one harpoon 
 point of bone about six inches long (broken in three pieces) ; a portion of a bone spear-point ; 
 two pieces of deer-horns (formerly much larger) bearing the evidence of decay, also another 
 very small piece of deer-horn (also larger formerly) ; two portions of the jaw of a bear. Mrs. 
 Stevens said that in the same grave there had been found half a handful of grains of silver which 
 had since been lost. 
 
 The articles numbered A to L, vix : one thick, broad, smooth pointed wedge shaped stone ; 
 one thick roundish chisel-pointed stone ; one large curve-shaped whetstone ; one small egg- 
 shaped whetstone, both thin and the preceding are of sandstone ; two broken pieces of whet- 
 stone ; one thick, t)roken, pointed stone ; portion of a round sandstone implement with small 
 knob at end, fragment hardly sufficient to show the original use ; two unfinished, unperforated 
 shattle-stones, one of brown the othei of brownish white stone, both small ; one unfinished 
 (broken) shuttle-stone of hard dark material ; one imperfect chisel of green stone ; one rough 
 chisel of hard dark stone ; one piece of burnt deer horn ; one large imperfect gouge (?)of grsen 
 stone ; one fragment exhibiting the process of fiint-chippipg, were ploughed up at di6ferent 
 times on Mr. Stevens' farm. 
 

 Slightly to the west or Mr. Stevens* house, and between it and the lake, is a turnip field. 
 The soil was v«ry brown and no doubt had been burnt. The place was evidently the site of a 
 pottery manulacture and perhaps also of an encampment, as in the soil occasional burnt verte- 
 brae of fishes, teeth of animals and the like were to be found. Mr. Stevens and the writer 
 picked up in the field the pieces of pottery here exhibited, most of them quite small, hut of 
 varying types of ornamentation. Formerly larger pieces had been found, but no great care 
 had been taken to collect them. Some very small flints and arrowheads were found here but 
 were afterwards lost. The middle of the turnip field bore every appearance of having been the 
 site of a pottery-burning establishment and the small and minute fragments of pottery were 
 almost innuineiable. The occurrence of fiint chips would also lead us to suppose that arrows 
 were made there ; it was perhaps a regular camp for all purposes. 
 
 Mr. Stevens said that many of the mure curious axes, gouges and chisels which he had 
 from time to time ploughed up had been given away, and were no doubt scattered in all 
 directions. 
 
 Regarding the tribe of Indians to whom the interments belonged, the writer is inclined to 
 attribute them to the ancestors of the present Mississaguas rather than to the Iro(}uois or Mo- 
 hawks. The opinion of the Indians at Scugog is alio to that effect. The Mississaguas and 
 Ojebways have lieen acquainted with Scugog Island lor over a century an J a half. To whom- 
 suever they belong, the interments date from a very early period. 
 
 The names pMMM-Mississagua names of articles of archaeological interest are : awl, migpos; 
 axe, wakakwat; how-and-arrows, mitigwab; chisel, eshkon; (t. e. horn) ; copper, osawabik 
 (yellow metal) ; fish-hook, megiskun; iron, piwabik; kettle, akik; knife, mokoman; pipe, poa- 
 gan; pot (of stone), okakik; shot, shishsbanwing (duck-stones) ; spear, onit; stone, assen; 
 wampum, migis. The name of the chisel, " eshkon " which really means " horn " shows of 
 what material that implement was made in the past ; "shot " is rendered by a word signifying 
 *' duck-stones,'' stones fur killing ducks with ; ** copper " is the "yellow metal ;" " iron " the 
 metal that " crumbis oft." 
 
 Names oi articles introduced l)y the whites have descriptive names attached to them as m 
 the case of 'he word for "shot " cited above. Lead \i oskkikwomin 'meaning it can be cut 
 with a knife); a looking-glass, is wabimotckichagumn (where they see ghosts, no doubt referring 
 to the reflected image); a razor is ^ashkibadjin (a scraper); tin is wababik (white metal); a 
 trunk or box is mitigwash (from mitig, wood). 
 
 The specimens treated of in this paper are now in the Museum of the Canadian Institute, 
 Toronto, and the desirability of making the collection there as perfect as possible cannot be too 
 earnestly impressed upon those under whose notice objects of archaeological interest may from 
 time to time come.