Manitoba Culture History:
Chronological Overview

While historical reconstructions of our past normally rely on written sources, archaeologists have unearthed an articulate unwritten account of Manitoba's heritage in the form of ancient Aboriginal artifacts and settlements. This record reveals a 12,000 year story of Native migration, survival and accomplishment in a challenging environment and a venerable cultural tradition that continues to influence and enrich the lives of present day Manitobans.

The major developments of this long time span include:

• The coming of the first peoples, the big game hunters of the Palaeo Period,
• The spread of Archaic traditions, which developed specialized and distinctive technologies to make the fullest use of their local environmental resources,
• The major accomplishments of the Woodland cultures, which supplemented dependence on bison and other wild resources with domesticated plants and developed long distance trading contacts, art works, and complex ceremonial traditions.

Major cultural achievements are evident in all of the province's geographical zones including the prairies, forests, and remote arctic and subarctic regions, which supported the development of the unique Taltheilei and Dorset traditions.

To learn more about the archaeological heritage of Manitoba's First Nations click on the highlighted terms in the imagemap below.