Plano and Early Archaic Cultures (6,000 to 9,000 years ago).
The 4,000 or so years that follow the Palaeo-Indian period are not as yet well understood for the Maritimes region. One explanation for the absence of archaeological sites during this time is that evidence lies submerged along the ancient shoreline. In support of this idea, Archaic period artifacts and ancient animal remains have been dredged by fishermen from the ocean floor along the Atlantic coast. Apart from this, there have been isolated surface finds which hint at early occupation of the Maritimes by Archaic peoples. The first of these finds from New Brunswick consists of delicately flaked blades, which closely resemble implements typically associated with the 7,000-to 9,000-year old, big-game hunting tradition known as Plano. The Plano people were so named because they were first identified on the Great Plains.
An important assemblage of Plano implements has recently come to light on the north shore of the GaspÄ Peninsula at Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, reinforcing the claim of a far eastern penetration of the Plano culture into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Finds appear to be rare occurrences in the Maritimes, suggesting that the Plano cultural influence was not great over much of the region. Of greater importance than the Plano were cultural ties that developed along the Atlantic seaboard. Discoveries on the Piedmont area of North Carolina and lower Hudson River system of New Jersey and New York State date from 6,000 to 9,000 years ago. The surface finds of the same period from the Maritimes are remarkably similar. Shown here are:
A Plano spear point, base fragment, French Lake, New Brunswick
B Plano spear point, base fragment, Little Narrows, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
C Plano spear point, tip fragment, Gaspereau River, Nova Scotia
D-F Spear points, GaspÄreau River, Nova Scotia
The seaboard peoples appear to have been firmly established on the coastal plain, probably inhabiting areas now submerged. They may have been direct descendants of the earlier Palaeo-Indian people.
Courtesy: National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada
