Pukaskwa Pits are small holes dug in the ground by ancestors of the Ojibwa

Ojibwa

The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...

, named after the Pukaskwa River

Pukaskwa River

The Pukaskwa River is a river in northern Ontario which empties into the north shore of Lake Superior at the south end of Pukaskwa National Park...

, near Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...

. Estimations of the dates of their digging range from between 1100 and 1600 CE on the near end, to 3,000 to 8,000 BCE on the far end.

Description

These rock-lined pits are dug in cobblestone

Cobblestone

Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...

 beaches and are about one to two meters long and one and a half meter deep. Theories about the purpose of these pits range from hunting blinds to food storage pits to spiritual sites. The existence of these pits came into academic light in 1949, and was studied by the Royal Ontario Museum

Royal Ontario Museum

The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...

, University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 and Lakehead University

Lakehead University

Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...

.

Pukaskwa National Park

Pukaskwa National Park

Pukaskwa National Park

Pukaskwa National Park is a national park located south of the town of Marathon, Ontario in the Thunder Bay District of northern Ontario, Canada. Established in 1978, Pukaskwa is known for its vistas of Lake Superior and boreal forests...

was established in 1971 to protect a large clustering of these Pukaskwa pits.