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Shield Archaic Tradition

Boreal-forest hunter-gatherer tradition of the Canadian Shield, centered on caribou hunting along the boreal-tundra transition near Lake Athabasca and later spreading into Manitoba and Ontario.

Gradually gave way to regional Woodland-period traditions as pottery-using cultures (e.g., Laurel) spread through the Canadian Shield by around 1000 BC.

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Further reading

• The Shield Archaic James Valliere Wright · 1972

  The original archaeological monograph defining the Shield Archaic tradition.

Sources

• Wikipedia, 'Archaic period (North America)#Shield Archaic' ('a distinct regional tradition...starting around 6,500 years ago'; 'Late Shield Archaic phase (3,500-4,450 BP)')
• Wikipedia, 'Lake Superior' ('The Shield Archaic peoples arrived around 5000 BC')