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“Looking at this thing, looking at the material that it’s made of, the way it was manufactured and all that can actually give us quite a bit of information,” Stuart said. “Also, it’s just incredibly cool. She’s the first person who would have touched this thing in 6,000 years.”

Photo by Matt Smith / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

The point, a tip of a dart that was thrown with using a device called a throwing board, was the weapon of choice for hunters in the area for thousands of years and predates arrows by about 4,000 years. It’s the oldest object found at the site and among the oldest in the park.

The discovery of the point confirms that people were at that exact site 6,000 years ago. The youngest documented occupation there was around 650.

“The Gowen cultural period wasn’t known to be at the Wolf Willow site and very minimal has been found at other sites in Wanuskewin,” Chomyshen said. “So it’s an incredibly exciting find.”

The work being done to uncover its history is only a part of the cultural revitalization being carried out at the park. “It’s ongoing, it’s not just archaeology. It’s all about the people who were there and are still there,” Stuart said.

Working onsite and learning about bones has fuelled Chomyshen’s passion for her field. She’s looking to pursue a masters degree in osteology and human taphonomy, looking at human skeletal structures and decomposition and preservation processes.

Wolf Willow is the most excavated site in the park. After nine years of work, this field camp was its last, but the the department will be in talks with the park about where to start digging next. Even with all of the objects and knowledge coming from Wolf Willow, it comes down to respecting the land, Stuart said.

“You’re always finding something and learning new things, but we’re kind of thinking that maybe it’s time to leave the site alone,” he said. “We always want to leave stuff, you never want to excavate the whole site.”

amshort@postmedia.com