Wally Firth
Q: Did you ever find archaeological artifacts in Fort McPherson?
The first artifact I ever found was a little arrowhead. I hated gardening but, as part of my duties as an apprentice at the Hudson’s Bay, I had to do the gardening.
I was gardening, turning over the dirt, and I found an arrowhead, a beautifully made bone arrowhead.
Q: What did you do with the arrowhead?
One day there was a visitor sitting with my Dad. I came in when they were talking and I said: 'Look, I found this.'
His name was Scotty MacNeish and he was an archaeologist. MacNeish said: 'That arrowhead belongs to the government. I can take that… but I'll pay you.' He gave me a big cheque for two dollars.
Q: Did you ever see that arrowhead again?
Years and years later, I met Jean-Luc Pilon, a wonderful man. He was up doing archaeological work. He said: 'I have this poster. I'd like to put it up on the wall.'
I said: 'Go ahead.' He put the poster up and I took a good look. I said: 'Son of a gun, I found that arrowhead… You see there's a little nick on it. That's proof.' Jean-Luc said: MacNeish said: 'He found it.'
Q: Did you find other artifacts?
One day I was walking along the shore of the big lake where I had my cabin and I found an old axe, a stone axe. It was in the trail from McPherson to Arctic Red (Tsiigehtchic). There it was amongst the rocks. And the middle was the place for the babiche to hold on the handle.
I sent that down to Jean-Luc Pilon when he was working in Ottawa and he said it was six or seven thousand years old.
Q: Should artifacts go to a museum or stay where they are found?
I'll tell you about my aunt Margaret McLeod. In 1934, she made a beautiful baby belt, decorated with porcupine quills. She was going to give it to a baby boy, me.
But at Christmas she needed money so she gave the baby belt to my Dad to sell when he went to the Hudson's Bay Company in Fort Smith.
Years later, a friend took my Aunt Margaret on a tour to Edmonton. They went to the museum and in an exhibit case there were three baby belts. The one in the middle had porcupine quills. Aunt Margaret recognized it right away: "There's my baby belt!"
Museums play an important role in keeping objects safe, so our families can find them years later. The important thing is to keep the stories alive, so the stories and the artifacts remain together forever.