The world's largest island lake conceals the deepest lake and the "old woman." What is this all about?

Manitoulin Island is located in the Canadian part of Lake Huron, near the province of Ontario. Its area is 2,766 square kilometers, which is just 30 square kilometers smaller than Ottawa, the capital of Canada. Essentially, the island is so large that it contains over 100 of its own lakes—if you look closely, you may notice something even more intriguing, as reported by IFLScience.

For instance, the largest lake on the island is Lake Manitou, which covers an area of 106 square kilometers. It is also the largest island lake in the world. Researchers note that it is the deepest of the lakes, attracting numerous local fish, including the lake trout that thrive in its deep waters.

Another lake, Mindemoya, is not as large as Manitou, but it is home to Treasure Island, the largest lake on an island in a lake. Researchers point out that Treasure Island was not always known by this name—it was previously called Mindimowen. In the Ojibwe language, this translates to "old woman"—locals believed the island embodied her spirit.

One of the stories suggests that the "old woman" was the grandmother of the trickster Nanabozho—he was running across Lake Mindemoya with her on his shoulders when he lost his balance and accidentally knocked his grandmother into the water.

However, the various lakes and islands are not the only attractions of Manitoulin Island; it is also home to the Canadian National Historic Site of Sheguiandah, a prehistoric archaeological site. It was first discovered by archaeologists in 1951, when researchers uncovered numerous artifacts dating back approximately 9,000 years.

According to researchers, the remains found at the Sheguiandah historic site represent a series of successive cultural activities of the early inhabitants of present-day Ontario, starting from the Paleo-Indian period around 11,000 B.C. during the retreat of glacial Lake Algonquin.

Artifacts found at the site include stone tools and weapons, chipped from pieces broken off the surrounding quartzite bedrock.