Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MUMMY CAVE DART POINT FRAGMENT

P19739179-9192000-GA, P19641182000-GA

Date Range From

7800

Date Range To

5400 BP

Materials

CHERT

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.6

Width

1.5

Description

SPECKLED GREY CHERT. SIDE NOTCHED, STRAIGHT BASE, SQUARE BASAL EDGES. STRAIGHT LATERAL EDGES. CONVEX CROSS SECTION. TIP BROKEN OFF. BIFACIALLY FLAKED.

Subjects

INDIGENOUS

ARMAMENT-EDGED

Historical Association

ARCHAEOLOGY

History

NORTHERN PLAINS. REFER TO P19641140000-GA FOR GIFT CERTIFICATE. IN 2009, UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE PLAINS ARCHAEOLOGY STUDENT FALLON MAHAR SURVEYED THE GALT'S POINT AND STONE TOOL COLLECTION AND, USING A TEMPLATE DEVELOPED IN COORDINATION WITH PROF. BUBEL AND REFERENCE BOOK "ALBERTA IN STONE", PROVIDED FEEDBACK ON THE GALT'S COLLECTION. CONCEQUENTLY, SHE CALLED THE POINT A "MUMMY CAVE DART POINT" VERSUS THE RECORD'S ORIGINAL "PLAINS SIDE NOTCHED" ON ACCOUNT THAT IT'S "TOO LARGE AND PARALLEL SIDED". SHE ADDITIONALLY QUESTIONED THE RECORD'S ORIGINAL 1700 DATE , PROPOSING IT'S CLOSER TO 7800 - 5400 BP. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON ASKED TWO FORMER MEMBERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, PHIL EDMUNDSON AND PAUL RUSZNAK, ABOUT THE FIRST NATIONS ARTIFACTS THAT THE GROUP DONATED TO THE GALT MUSEUM IN 1964, 1969, AND 1973. NEITHER RECALLED HOW THE JAYCEES CAME INTO OWNERSHIP OF THE ARTIFACTS, AS THEIR ACQUISITION PREDATED BOTH EDMUNDSON AND RUSZNAK’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHAMBER. RESEARCH CONDUCTED INTO LETHBRIDGE’S GURNEY MUSEUM FOUND A CONNECTION BETWEEN ITS PROPRIETOR, WALTER GURNEY, AND THE JAYCEES, WHO ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE FROM THE APRIL 16, 1946 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD ADVOCATED ON GURNEY’S BEHALF FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE TO THE FORMER BOARD OF TRADE BUILDING WHERE THE MUSEUM WAS HOUSED. AN ARTICLE FROM THE JULY 13, 1948 ISSUE OF THE HERALD DESCRIBES SOME OF THE FIRST NATIONS ARTIFACTS ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM: “TOMAHAWKS, ARROW HEADS, PEACE PIPES, BEAD AND LEATHER WORK, CLOTHING AND WOODCRAFT”. UPON THE CLOSURE OF THE MUSEUM AND SALE OF GURNEY’S COLLECTION TO BELMORE SCHULTZ OF THE ALTAMONT MUSEUM IN COUTTS, MENTION WAS MADE IN A HERALD ARTICLE FROM MAY 16, 1961 OF “HISTORICAL INDIAN RELICS THAT BELONG TO THE JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAVE BEEN RETAINED IN THE CITY AND WILL BE AVAILABLE WHEN PROPER DISPLAY FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE”. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE ARTIFACTS WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE JAYCEES BY GURNEY DURING THE DISSOLUTION OF HIS MUSEUM, BUT NO FURTHER CONFIRMATION WAS FOUND. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE GURNEY MUSEUM AND ITS COLLECTION, SEE RECORD P19890044001.

UPDATE 16 AUGUST 2017: ON 25 JULY 2017, MUSEUM CURATOR AIMEE BENOIT FOUND EVIDENCE TO CONNECT THE INDIGENOUS COLLECTION DONATED BY THE LETHBRIDGE JAYCEES (AKA. JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE) WITH FORMER LETHBRIDGE RESIDENTS THE LATE FRED BOTSFORD AND HIS LATE DAUGHTER DOROTHY CLARK. NOTES MADE BY AIMEE ON THE DISCOVERY AS WELL AS RELEVANT CLIPPINGS FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD CAN BE FOUND ATTACHED TO THE PERMANENT FILE OF P19641140000.

Catalogue Number

P19739191000

Acquisition Date

1964-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail