In 1978, Ernie Walker worked on a little ranch north of Saskatoon while he was in school for archeology. A few years later, Walker took the site on a lease with the City of Saskatoon.
As he explored it in the following years, he discovered a bison jump along with bones and artifacts that are evidence of archeological work between 1982 and 1983. Walker named the site Newo Asiniak, which in Cree means four stones, as he always felt there was more history to the land.
It turns out he was right. In 2020, four petroglyphs were excavated on the site, which now is called Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
“Little did I know that 40 years later it will come crashing down on me but in a good and wonderful way,” said Walker, who is now a forensic anthropologist and park founder at Wanuskewin.
The four stones include a 225-kilogram (500-pound) ribstone, a petroglyph carved in the form of animal rib, which will be on display at the park starting Friday. Walker said the stones are evidence of the culture that likely existed before European explorers made contact with the Indigenous peoples living on the land.
The ribstone was discovered along with a nine-kilogram (20-pound) stone. Another excavated stone bears grid patterns and weighs 340 kilograms (750 pounds). The largest of them all is a boulder weighing approximately 545 kilograms (1,200 pounds) that’s still in the ground.
The 225-kilogram ribstone, a petroglyph carved in the form of a bison’s rib, will be on display starting Friday. (Wanuskewin Heritage Park)
But that’s not all Walker found. He also discovered a stone knife next to the stones, which is considered a rare find.
“There’s no question about association,” Walker said. “I measured the width of the cutting edge and it’s exactly the same width of the groove on the rock. De facto, that was the stone tool to make the groove [on the ribstone]. Whoever did that carving almost left a business card behind.”
A stone knife was found next to the stones, which is a rare find. (Wanuskewin Heritage Park)
Reintroducing bison to park led to historic find
Walker developed a lifelong connection to the land that was originally the ranch, which was owned by Mike Vitkowski. The two men struck up a friendship, and after Vitkowski died, it became part of the park, which opened in 1992. Walker is on the board.
Bison were reintroduced to the land in 2019. Walker said the petroglyphs would not have been discovered without them.
In August 2020, while the bison were in a paddock, their hooves turned up the soil. Walker was helping feed them with the bison manager when he saw the “top of a boulder protruding from the ground” near his feet.
“The bison spent time there giving each other dust baths and just in their normal activity, they uncovered the stones,” said Walker, who had surveyed the area before but had never seen them.
The bison had uncovered the ribstone.
“The lines on the boulder mimicked ribs of a bison. In the middle of it, there was a little horned figure. A spirit figure with a triangular head with horns and an oblong body and a tail that went to the crack,” Walker said.
“I was trying not to have a heart attack. If the bison wouldn’t have been here, we wouldn’t have been here.”
Ernie Walker, park founder and chief archeologist, said he was trying not to have a heart attack after discovering the rock art. (Wanuskewin Heritage Park)
The petroglyphs were leading up to the pathway near the bison jump. Walker said the style on the boulders is a part of hoof print art tradition.
Ribstones like this one are sometimes associated with bison kills, Walker said. And since the boulders were found near a bison jump, he said it can be related.
Walker said it is difficult to predict exactly how old the rocks are. He said hoof print style of rock art is typical to southern parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
“They generally date to somewhere between 300 years and 1,800 years ago.”
Push for UNESCO heritage status
Walker is pushing for Wanuskewin Heritage Park to be added to UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites, the gold standard for cultural and scientific sites internationally. The park plans to hand in its voluminous submission through Parks Canada by the end of next year.
“The migratory bison hunting populations in pre-contact history followed bison herds and never carried a lot of items. But Wanuskewin has everything one would expect to find in a pre-contact culture on the northern plains,” he said.
“It has bison jumps, massive campsites that we’ve been excavating. Now, it has rock art. That’s exceptional and tangible evidence of pre-contact culture. We think that it’s so exceptional that it’s worthy of the designation.”
It has been a gathering place for Indigenous people for more than 6,000 years, according to archeological records. Wanuskewin also has geographical significance. The greatest concentration of residential schools sat on the treaty territories of central and southern Saskatchewan.
In 2019, the bison were re-introduced to their ancestral homelands at Wanuskewin. The herd is made up of the descendants of the last remaining bison from Grasslands National Park and Yellowstone National Park. (Wanuskewin Heritage Park)
He said the petroglyphs give a glimpse of spiritual and ceremonial aspects of that culture. Wanuskewin will be not only a Saskatchewan phenomenon, but also a “great Canadian story.”
Walker said while consideration for the status can take up to decades, Wanuskewin is still on “a faster track” as a decision can be made in Paris in June 2025, if all the intermediary processes go well.
“Getting UNESCO status will mark us for international recognition. Of course there will be international tourism. It would change Saskatoon. I’d like to think it will change Saskatchewan,” he said.
Walker said back in the 1980s when the park was still in its genesis, Hillaird McNab, an elder from George Gordon First Nation, told him that the site was destined to be a park.
“McNab said it was supposed to happen, and it’s now. This place wants to tell its story to the rest of the world,” Walker said.
“Bisons are the keystone species for grasslands and First Nation people. If you look at those bison, you are looking at a time capsule.”
Elder Akanya Naji from Dakota Nation of Wahpeton agrees.
“Bison is very sacred to us and in our creation stories are called our brothers. They provide sustenance to us. Our economy was our bison,” Naji, who goes by the colonizer’s name of Cy Standing, said.
A way for the future
Naji has been connected with Wanuskewin for almost 30 years and said the land “was a gathering, healing and ceremonial place.”
He wasn’t surprised with the discovery of the petroglyphs, which hold a cultural significance.
“All the rocks are sacred to us,” Naji said. “In our creation stories, rocks were the first things to be created.”
Naji said traditionally rocks are not supposed to be moved but he understood the scientific motive of conservation.
He said the discovery furthers their path to the future that flourishes from their past.
Elder Akanya Naji from Dakota Nation of Wahpeton said the discovery furthers their path to the future, which flourishes from their past. (Don Somers/CBC)
“If you don’t have a history, you don’t have a future. That’s what we wanted to do with Wanuskewin, to teach our people and non-Indigenous people about our history.”
Naji said Wanuskewin becoming a UNESCO heritage site will be better for future generations to learn about their history.
“This place tells our histories and Wanuskewin can play a role in changing people’s thinking especially about our Earth,” Naji said.
“Our histories go back to pre-contact and we want to preserve that history. There’s not much pre-contact knowledge, as much has been written by colonizers.”
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
