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 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."