Crawford Lake Field Trip

A Fourth Grade Adventure

Crawford Lake Conservation Area is located in Ontario, Canada which is just across the border from the Tuscarora Nation. In fact, the Tuscarora people do not think of it as a border since the original Iroquois land stretched across the Niagara River into Canada without a border. The Iroquois call all of North America, Great Turtle Island.

Crawford Lake is a 540 acre park located near Milton, Ontario. It has a meromectic lake, a re-constructed pre-historic Iroquoian Village and beautiful walking trails.

The site of Crawford Lake was discovered in 1973 after a study of the lake indicated the presence of corn pollen. Since Crawford Lake is so deep, there is little circulation of oxygen beyond the 12 meter level and this ensures the preservation of annual sediment deposits in undisturbed layers called varves. This also allows a more accurate dating of the pollen found in the sediment. Archeologists believe it was from 1434-1459. This finding encouraged them to look for an Indian village nearby.

Our students recently visited Crawford Lake. Following are some pictures of the longhouses and surrounding area.

	The village has two, full-sized longhouses, one is for the wolf clan, the other is the turtle clan. This shows the wolf clan longhouse. The size can be seen by comparison to the people in front.
The outside of the wolf clan longhouse is made of overlapping layers of bark.
	This shows the entrance to the turtle clan longhouse.Above the door is the turtle clan symbol.
This is the inside of the turtle clan longhouse. Notice the corn hanging from the upper beams of the longhouse and tobacco hanging from the lower shelves.
	This shows the cooking fire inside the turtle clan longhouse. Over the back door is a wolf pelt.
A close-up of the beams in the longhouse shows the way they are held together with strips of bark. Notice also the curved poles forming the ceiling.
	Clothing was often hung on the walls both for storage and for drying.
This corn pounder was carved out of a tree trunk . Notice the raccoon skin hanging on the post in the background and other skins being prepared on the table.
	Inside the longhouse, occupants had shelves to storefood, clothing and other items. Another shelf was used for sleeping.
This shows ducks hanging from the shelves for storage. Other skins hang on posts and over rails.
	The carved log in the background served as stairsfor getting to upper shelf spaces.
The unfinished wampum belt rests against the wall of the longhouse vestibule next to some authentic snowshoes made with wood and animal gut.
	Outside the longhouses there is an area used for hanging and drying skins, fish, and meats.