SASKATCHEWAN’S HISTORY IS WRITTEN ON THE LAND

It is time once again to discover and celebrate Saskatchewan's archaeological legacy.

The Government of Saskatchewan at the request of the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society today proclaimed June as Archaeology Month in Saskatchewan. Archaeology Month is intended to help raise awareness about the importance of preserving the archaeological record that tells the story of the province's past and upon which our heritage and culture is built.

"Saskatchewan's history dates back well past the first Europeans, to the ancestors of today's First Nations people," Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Dustin Duncan said. "It is the responsibility of this and future generations not only to protect and conserve the province's archaeological heritage but to strive to unravel its mysteries and learn from the archaeological record."

To note the month, the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society has planned several unique archaeological and cultural initiatives of interest to people of all ages. With nine active chapters located across the province, the hope is that Saskatchewan residents and visitors will find an activity of interest near home or their vacation destinations. This year's events include talks, tours of both public and private archaeological sites as well as opportunities for people to help out on actual field excavations. Once again there will be opportunities for people to have artifacts identified by knowledgeable archaeologists.

"We hope people will come out to learn more about the archaeology of the province," Saskatchewan Archaeological Society Executive Director Talina Cyr-Steenkamp said. "Our archeological heritage is outstanding. We can connect you with great people and great resources to help you better understand our shared and unique pasts."

The Saskatchewan Archaeological Society is a non-profit, volunteer organization that works to educate the public about the province's past in order to preserve and conserve these non-renewable resources and the information that can be gathered from them for the future.

The Heritage Resources Branch of the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport maintains the Province's inventory of items of archaeological significance both in the form of a collection and as a registry of known archaeological sites. Items include artifacts, human habitation and hunting sites, pictographs, petroglyphs, medicine wheels, abandoned homesteads and industrial locations. Currently, Saskatchewan's archaeological site inventory holds more than 22,000 records covering the past twelve thousand years of human history.

To learn more about archaeology in Saskatchewan, visit www.saskarchsoc.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Sean St. George
Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-787-9087

Talina Cyr-Steenkamp
Saskatchewan Archaeological Society
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-664-4124