The Meewasin Creek site (FbNp-9) is a multicomponent precontact site located within the confines of the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, three kilometres north of the city of Saskatoon. The University of Saskatchewan conducted field school excavations as part of a long term study by in conjunction with Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Excavations exposed over 40 m2 and 10 occupation levels. Cultural affiliations of the buried levels range from the McKean complex in the deeper levels, through Pelican Lake, Sandy Creek, Besant, Avonlea, and indeterminate components. Radiocarbon dates from four levels corroborate the time frame of the occupation levels. Research includes an analysis of artifacts, ecofacts and features from each cultural level to determine how the site was used in each time period.<p> The Terminal Middle Precontact period is a time of increased cultural complexity on the Northern Plains. This study focuses on the 2500 to 2000 B.P. time frame during which a number of cultural expressions are observed in the archaeological record including Pelican Lake, Sandy Creek, Besant, Plains Woodland, and previously un-named complexes. The archaeological remains recovered from Meewasin Creek are compared to a number of similarly aged sites in the Northern Plains including Mortlach, Sjovold, Walter Felt, as well as the single component Rocky Island site. By comparing the lithic and faunal assemblages at these key sites, we can draw a better view of the cultural systems present on the Northern Plains. From this benchmark we can form a more holistic cultural chronology on the Northern Plains, particularly in central Saskatchewan.

The Dog Child site (FbNp-24) is located within the confines of the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, approximately 3 km north of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is a multicomponent site containing six occupation levels. The site was excavated throughout the 2004, 2005, and 2006 field seasons with the assistance of the University of Saskatchewan archaeological field school and the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society field school. Projectile point, pottery, and other technologies deemed specific to a cultural period, in addition to radiocarbon age assessment, have revealed six occupations related to five different series or complexes. These include the Plains Side-Notched complex, Prairie Side-Notched complex, Duncan/Hanna complex, Oxbow complex, and Mummy Cave series. Two levels have been ascribed to the latter series. The Mummy Cave series occupation is an area of focus as it contributes to our knowledge surrounding Northern Plains occupation during the Mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum. The archaeological artifacts and features in addition to the geoarchaeological setting have been documented in order to create a comparative survey expressing the context and extent of these cultural periods.

The Red Tail site is one of 19 archaeological sites that lie within central Saskatchewan’s Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Since the creation of a long-term research program in 1984, many of these sites have been excavated making this the longest running archaeological project in Canada. This has provided an extensive body of archaeological evidence of human activity dating as early as the Early Precontact Period. Despite the extensive archaeological excavation and research that has occurred, relatively few geomorphic and paleoenvironmental studies have been conducted within the area. Paleoenvironmental data provide important context in building archaeological interpretations of past lifeways. The Red Tail site was originally excavated in 1988 and 1989 to a depth of approximately 2.7 m. In 2007, the site was revisited in order to conduct subsurface coring to a depth of over 6 m using a Geoprobe coring rig. This method allowed recovery of culturally sterile soils/sediments beyond the depth of the original excavation. This project includes analysis of these cores in order to investigate geomorphic processes active at the site and proxy indicators of paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. Analysis of two of the cores included detailed description of the recovered soils and sediments, as well as stable isotope and phytolith analysis of selected units in one of the cores. This suite of methods provides a robust, multi-proxy interpretation of geomorphic change and paleoenvironmental conditions at the site. The site was geomorphically active during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene, reflective of a dynamic and fluctuating climate following the glacial retreat. As the environment became more stable during the Middle to Late Holocene, periods of landscape stability are reflected in a sequence of buried soils. The paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic record recovered from these buried soils shows a fairly consistent history of C3-plant dominated communities, reflective of moist, cool climate conditions. The relatively stable environmental and climatic conditions reflected at the site contribute to the understanding of the Wanuskewin area as an oasis on the prairies.

The Dog Child site (FbNp-24) is located within the confines of the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, approximately 3 km north of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is a multicomponent site containing six occupation levels. The site was excavated throughout the 2004, 2005, and 2006 field seasons with the assistance of the University of Saskatchewan archaeological field school and the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society field school. Projectile point, pottery, and other technologies deemed specific to a cultural period, in addition to radiocarbon age assessment, have revealed six occupations related to five different series or complexes. These include the Plains Side-Notched complex, Prairie Side-Notched complex, Duncan/Hanna complex, Oxbow complex, and Mummy Cave series. Two levels have been ascribed to the latter series. The Mummy Cave series occupation is an area of focus as it contributes to our knowledge surrounding Northern Plains occupation during the Mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum. The archaeological artifacts and features in addition to the geoarchaeological setting have been documented in order to create a comparative survey expressing the context and extent of these cultural periods.

The Meewasin Creek site (FbNp-9) is a multicomponent precontact site located within the confines of the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, three kilometres north of the city of Saskatoon. The University of Saskatchewan conducted field school excavations as part of a long term study by in conjunction with Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Excavations exposed over 40 m2 and 10 occupation levels. Cultural affiliations of the buried levels range from the McKean complex in the deeper levels, through Pelican Lake, Sandy Creek, Besant, Avonlea, and indeterminate components. Radiocarbon dates from four levels corroborate the time frame of the occupation levels. Research includes an analysis of artifacts, ecofacts and features from each cultural level to determine how the site was used in each time period.<p> The Terminal Middle Precontact period is a time of increased cultural complexity on the Northern Plains. This study focuses on the 2500 to 2000 B.P. time frame during which a number of cultural expressions are observed in the archaeological record including Pelican Lake, Sandy Creek, Besant, Plains Woodland, and previously un-named complexes. The archaeological remains recovered from Meewasin Creek are compared to a number of similarly aged sites in the Northern Plains including Mortlach, Sjovold, Walter Felt, as well as the single component Rocky Island site. By comparing the lithic and faunal assemblages at these key sites, we can draw a better view of the cultural systems present on the Northern Plains. From this benchmark we can form a more holistic cultural chronology on the Northern Plains, particularly in central Saskatchewan.

The Red Tail site (FbNp-10) is a multicomponent habitation site located 2.5 km north of Saskatoon within the boundaries of Wanuskewin Heritage Park. The site was initially tested in the early 1980s and then excavated during the summers of 1988 and 1989 by University of Saskatchewan archaeology field school students, paid crews and many volunteers. Evidence from the site indicates that it was inhabited numerous times, beginning around 4,300 years before present with a McKean occupation, which also included the only Mckean house pit feature found on the Canadian Plains. Other associations with archaeological cultures include Sandy Creek, Besant and Avonlea, revealing that the most recent identifiable occupation to have occurred was between 1,300 – 1,000 years before present. The Sandy Creek component is only the second to be recovered from a site within Wanuskewin Heritage Park. As the longest running archaeological project in Canada, the sites that have been excavated at Wanuskewin have involved a number of volunteers and the success of such a cultural facility would not be possible without the interest of members of the public. The dissemination of information about archaeology to the public has a colourful past in Saskatchewan that began in 1935 with the formation of the Saskatoon Archaeological Society; a group of avocationals who were interested in learning and sharing information about this province’s rich cultural history. Since then, the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society and its associated chapters were formed and awareness for the importance of preserving the past has been communicated through many avenues, including programs that invite members of the public to participate in archaeological opportunities within the province. An examination of these avenues of information sharing demonstrates how important public interest and support is to archaeology and heritage works in Saskatchewan.

The Wolf Willow site (FbNp-26) is a multicomponent Precontact site located within the confines of Wanuskewin Heritage Park approximately 2 km north of the city of Saskatoon Saskatchewan. The site was excavated during 2010 and 2011 field seasons with the participation of The University of Saskatchewan’s archaeological field school and the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society’s field school. As a result of these excavations, 30 m2 were exposed and four distinct cultural levels were identified. These include the Plains Side-Notched complex, Prairie Side-Notched complex, McKean series, and Oxbow complex cultures. An analysis of artifacts, ecofacts, and features from each cultural level was undertaken in order to determine site usage for each time period. Ecological concepts are often used as heuristic devices in archeological studies. The theory of island biogeography and the study of patch dynamics are two concepts that can lend themselves to the archeological study of past human groups. Island biogeography was developed to explain speciation in insular environments. In archeological studies, the same mechanisms affecting speciation can be employed to study the development of culture. Patch dynamics can be used to hypothesize how resource availability affected the behavior of past populations. Using the aforementioned concepts, the Wanuskewin/Opimihaw Valley area can be viewed as a terrestrial island. The unique combination of resources both tangible and intangible combined to make the area a draw for Precontact populations for the past 6000 years. Wanuskewin continues to attract people from around the world as a centre of spiritual and cultural renewal, a world class tourism destination, and an educational facility.