Torngats 2015 - Where Nature and Culture Connect 28

The Bear Guards

Bear Guards...  

...accompany every expedition away from the Base Camp.   

On day trips and expeditions in the Park, skilled Inuit hunters with knowledge of the land are part of the team. Bear Guards are necessary because dangerous animals like polar bears and black bears roam freely and naturally in the area. Park visitors and personnel alike rely on the sharp senses of the Bear Guards to stay safe.          

Torngats 2015 - Where Nature and Culture Connect 23

A Ramah Chert Point at Rose Island

The Dorset style of this point...  

...suggests a date between 3000 to 800 years ago.   

All around the Saglek Fjord there are artifacts from ancient cultures dating back thousands of years. We were on the trail to explore one of the many archaeological sites on Rose Island, when we spotted this lance point or arrow point chipped from the highly desirable stone Ramah Chert. Its style of construction suggests the point was made by people from the Dorset culture, possibly thousands of years ago. We left it in place for Park staff to examine later.

Torngats 10 - Waiting for the Zodiac

Leaving Rose Island   

One last group of Park visitors waits on shore...  

...for the zodiac shuttle to come back from the longliner.    

Visitors at Torngat Mountains Base Camp in northern Labrador, Canada, share their excursions and their experiences with scientists, Park officials, hikers, staff, students and adventure-tourists. We are leaving Rose Island with a tangible sense of its more than 5000 years of human occupation, and how important Saglek Fjord is in understanding the human history of the Torngat Mountains. 

Torngats 08 - Ramah Chert

Ramah Chert   

A piece of Ramah Chert...  

.. a stone with an archaeological story to tell.    

Chert is a fine grained stone composed mainly of silica. Its glassy consistency makes it brittle and able to fracture with a sharp, durable edge, highly prized by makers of stone tools. In the area of Ramah Bay, there is a deposit of an especially fine type of chert, called Ramah Chert, identifiable by its clear translucency and black veining. "Archaeologists investigating Newfoundland and Labrador prehistory have identified Ramah chert amongst all of the indigenous cultures of the province. It has been used for at least 7,500 years."

   

Torngats 07 - Bear Monitors

Bear Monitors   

Inuit guides and Park staff are trained to watch for bears...  

.. and keep the bears away from Base Camp visitors on the land.    

The Bear Monitors at the Torngat Mountains Base Camp in northern Labrador, Canada, are a key part of visitor safety. Polar bears and black bears roam freely and naturally through this territory, and while the Base Camp's visitors are outside camp on expeditions, the bear monitors guard against trouble. 

Torngats 06 - Rose Island Polar Bear Bed

Polar Bears Bed Down in the Grass   

...like this large bear did here.  

Our bear monitors were alert and kept us safe.    

The Bear Monitors at the Torngat Mountains Base Camp in northern Labrador, Canada, are armed to guard against black bears and polars bears who roam freely on Rose Island. Here, from the crushed-down grass, we could see the size of the mother polar bear who was close by with her two cubs. 

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