CELPIP Listening Part 4: News Item

Construction workers in Saskatoon made an unexpected discovery yesterday morning when they uncovered a collection of Indigenous artefacts at a downtown building site.

Work on the project, a new mixed-use development on Twenty-Third Street, was immediately halted to allow archaeologists to examine the find.

The artefacts, which include stone tools, pottery fragments, and what appears to be part of a ceremonial item, are believed to be more than eight hundred years old.

Dr.

Elaine Carrington, a senior archaeologist with the University of Saskatchewan, said the discovery is one of the most significant of its kind in recent decades.

Carrington explained that the items appear to be associated with ancestors of the Cree and Nakoda peoples who lived in the region long before European settlement.

Representatives from local First Nations communities have been invited to participate in the assessment process.

Chief Robert Whitebear of the nearby Whitecap Dakota First Nation said his community welcomed the careful approach being taken by both the developer and city officials.

Whitebear stressed that any decisions about the future of the artefacts should be made in consultation with Indigenous leaders.

The construction company, Northgate Developments, has agreed to pause all work for at least three weeks while the site is properly documented.

Company spokesperson Lisa Tremblay said the firm fully supports the investigation and is prepared to adjust the building plans if necessary.

Carrington noted that further excavation may reveal additional items, and that the site could ultimately yield important new information about pre-contact life on the prairies.

A public exhibition of selected artefacts is being considered for later in the year, pending agreement from all parties involved in the process.