Taltheilei Shale Tradition
Encyclopedia
The Taltheilei Shale Tradition is the archeological name of the material culture of a late prehistoric western-area subarctic people dated to the period of 750 BC to AD 1000. The Taltheilei Shale Tradition is named after the "Taltheilei Narrows" (place of open water) of Great Slave Lake
. Taltheilei people were Proto-Athapaskans.
groups when the climate changed around 750 BC. Their territory included the central Mackenzie District
and the interior area of the District of Keewatin
during the period of 700 BC until early trading posts were established. Sites attributable to the Taltheilei Shale Tradition have been found in several place. Their Little Duck Lake site later became the site of a Hudson Bay
trading post called "Caribou Post" due to its proximity to the migration path of the caribou; these Taltheilei are ancestors of the Sayisi Dene
, now a Chipewyan
band. Other Taltheilei lived at Shethanei Lake (traveled later by Samuel Hearne
in the early days of the Hudson's Bay Company
), Caribou Lake (on the Manigatogan River
system) and Egenolf Lake
, all in northern Manitoba
.
Taltheilei economy was based on barren-ground caribou
. For hunting, Taltheilei made very distinctive spear and arrow points, some of which changed over time. Their tools included awls, adze bits, knives, scrapers, stone drills, whetstones.
The Taltheilei people are considered proto-Athapaskan, and are ancestors to two Dene
people, the Yellowknives
and the Chipewyan
and possibly the Dene Dogribs
. Taltheilei are distinct, linguistically and culturally, from the Cree
, Ojibwe and other Algonkian
people of the Boreal Forest.
Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ...
. Taltheilei people were Proto-Athapaskans.
Ethnography
The Taltheilei were Boreal Forest people who moved into the lands previously inhabited by ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
groups when the climate changed around 750 BC. Their territory included the central Mackenzie District
Mackenzie District
Mackenzie District is a political district in New Zealand's South Island. It is part of the larger Canterbury Region.-Principal settlements:*Fairlie*Twizel*Cave*Mount Cook Village*Albury*TekapoAlso*Burkes Pass-Geography:See Mackenzie Basin,...
and the interior area of the District of Keewatin
District of Keewatin
The District of Keewatin was a territory of Canada and later an administrative district of the Northwest Territories.The name "Keewatin" comes from Algonquian roots—either kīwēhtin in Cree or giiwedin in Ojibwe—both of which mean north wind in their respective languages...
during the period of 700 BC until early trading posts were established. Sites attributable to the Taltheilei Shale Tradition have been found in several place. Their Little Duck Lake site later became the site of a Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
trading post called "Caribou Post" due to its proximity to the migration path of the caribou; these Taltheilei are ancestors of the Sayisi Dene
Sayisi Dene
The Sayisi Dene, , are Chipewyan, a Dene First Nation Aboriginal peoples of Canada group living in northern Manitoba. They are members of the "Sayisi Dene First Nation " and are notable for living a nomadic caribou-hunting and gathering existence.-Origin:The Chipewyan's ancestral homeland...
, now a Chipewyan
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
band. Other Taltheilei lived at Shethanei Lake (traveled later by Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
in the early days of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
), Caribou Lake (on the Manigatogan River
Manigatogan River
The Manigotagan River is a protected area located in Southeastern Manitoba, Canada. The river flows into the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg and it is a rare remote river of Southern Canada. The last southern herd of woodland caribou in Canada can be found near this river and in Nopiming...
system) and Egenolf Lake
Egenolf Lake
Egenolf Lake is a lake in north Manitoba 75 kilometres south of the provincial border with the Northwest Territories, Canada. Egenolf measures almost twenty miles long, offering shallow bays, deep holes, and other physical structures...
, all in northern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
Taltheilei economy was based on barren-ground caribou
Barren-ground Caribou
Barren-ground Caribou is a subspecies of the caribou that is found mainly in the Canadian territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and western Greenland. It sometimes includes the similar porcupine caribou, in which case the barren-ground caribou also is found in Alaska...
. For hunting, Taltheilei made very distinctive spear and arrow points, some of which changed over time. Their tools included awls, adze bits, knives, scrapers, stone drills, whetstones.
The Taltheilei people are considered proto-Athapaskan, and are ancestors to two Dene
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
people, the Yellowknives
Yellowknives
The Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are Aboriginal peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the Dene indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories of Canada...
and the Chipewyan
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
and possibly the Dene Dogribs
Tli Cho
The Tłįchǫ or Tåîchô First Nation, formerly known as the Dogrib, are a Dene Aboriginal Canadian people living in the Northwest Territories , Canada....
. Taltheilei are distinct, linguistically and culturally, from the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
, Ojibwe and other Algonkian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
people of the Boreal Forest.
Early, Middle, Late periods
Archaeologist divide Taltheilei Shale Tradition into periods based on their tools.- Their Early Period, 750 BC. - AD 200, is characterized by the presence of stemmed projectile points.
- The Middle Period, AD 200 - 700, is characterized by fewer stemmed projectile points and the appearance of lanceolate specimens.
- The Late Period, AD 700 - 1700, is characterized by the introduction of side-notched and corner-notched points.