The Wendat were Indigenous people who lived in this area from approximately 800 AD until 1650 AD. They were a resourceful people who quickly discovered the value of the area’s geology. The sedimentary rock provided a wealth of materials, one of which is chert.
Chert, a type of sedimentary rock, is commonly found in limestone. It is a constant reminder of the inland oceans that once covered this area between 600-225 million years ago. Chert is extremely fine grained. It breaks with a very sharp edge and is stronger than bone.
Wendat men shaped a sedimentary rock called ‘chert’ into projectile points and tools while the women used chert as scrapers for cleaning animal hides.
The other useful geological feature was the thick beds of clay.
The stream in front of you contains one of these clay beds which was used by Wendat women to shape decorative pots for cooking and storage. In earlier archaeological surveys, thousands of clay artefacts were recovered from various archaeological sites within Awenda.
Challenge: Pottery Practice
Grab a handful of clay and feel the fine grained gray substance for yourself! Try rolling it into a snake shape. By stacking and squeezing successive coils together you are using the same method Wendat women employed 500 years ago to make pots of all sizes- the coil method! Imagine a group of Wendat women crouching beside you as they went about their labours.
Next up:
For Stop #7, continue down the Beach Trail to reach 3rd Beach, once there scan the QR code for Stop #7. Keep your eyes peeled along the way for interesting geological features!
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