However, in the area to the south there are numerous finds of projectile points which are diagnostic of the Archaic. It was during this period that present day plant and animal communities were becoming established. Archaeological data relevant to the Late Archaic period, however, is rather more abundant. By this stage, almost every lake and river system in northcentral and northeastern Ontario had been occupied or travelled across. The Late Archaic artifact assemblage and subsistence and settlement patterns were relatively uniform for a long period of time over a large area.
Sites normally occur as small, thin scatters of flakes, and occasionally, include a hearth feature.
Given the length of time encompassed by this cultural period, and the typically small size and short term occupation of its sites, most Archaic sites manifest themselves as ephemeral lithic scatters which lack diagnostic artifacts. During the Archaic period, people developed an adaptation to the environment that involved the use of many diverse animal and plant resources. This resulted in a set pattern of repetitive seasonal movement through a territory. Fishing became a more important part of the subsistence base, and the use of canoes probably developed in this period. The appearance of small projectile points indicates the introduction of the bow and arrow for hunting smaller game species.