REFLECTION ON THE ANTIQUITY OF EARLY PEOP LING OF QUEBEC BASED ON NEWEVIDENCE OF THE LATE PALEOINDIAN PERIOD IN THE RIMOUSKI AREA, QUEBEC

Reflexion on the antiquity of early peopling of Quebec based on new ev idence of the Late Paleoindian Period in the Rimouski area, Quebec. A discussion on the initial peopling of Quebec is still handicaped by th e limited data available. However, it is relevant to present a reflexi on which might stimulate or orientate new researches. Following a brie f description of the chronological, environmental and cultural context to understand the first human groups on the Quebec territory, new sit es will be presented to improve our knowledge. These new Late Paleoind ian sites from the Rimouski region add to the information obtained fro m the excavation and analysis of a previous paleoindian site in this r egion. This new complex of sites will permit a better understanding of the settlement pattern during this period in the Saint Lawrence estua ry. Finally, an hypothesis on the migration of paleoindian groups in E astern North America will be examined for the purpose of discussing po ssible scenarios about the peopling of Quebec.