Using the information gathered through archaeological investigation, an artist was able to recreate here the unusual burial which took place at L'Anse-Amour over 7,000 years ago. The body of the child has been placed face down and head to the west in the large burial pit which had been dug to a depth of more than a metre in soft sand. On either side of the body fires burn, perhaps to keep black flies away from the workers, but more likely for some ceremonial purpose. A single large rock is about to be placed on the child's back, which is being sprinkled with red ochre.
The artifacts shown in the previous slide have already been placed with the body by members of the child's band, some of whom are beginning the arduous task of refilling the grave. Several tonnes of sand will be returned to the grave pit, and rocks and small boulders will be carried from a nearby stream bed to construct the mound which first called attention to the site. Archaeologists believe that the sand and rocks may have been intended to prevent the child's spirit from returning to haunt the group.
Although this reconstruction is correct in depicting some of the events that took place at the time of the burial, other details will never be known. The actual reasons for this elaborate burial, the other ceremonies that might have taken place, and what thoughts filled the people's minds can only be imagined.
Courtesy: National Film Board of Canada and National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada
