General & Student Poster Session

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Date/Time: 
Saturday, May 4, 2024 - 1:20pm to 4:20pm
(CST)
Room: 
Reception Area
Organizer(s): 
  • CAA 2024 Organizing Committee
Contact Email: 
Session Description (300 word max): 

A general session for posters. This session will also include any student posters. Posters can be in-person or viewable online. If you would like to participate in this session online, please submit your digital poster by April 15, 2024.

Presentations
A Unique and Complex Lithic Assemblage in the Central Interior of British Columbia
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Keli Watson - Pathfinder Endeavours Ltd.
  • Dana Evaschuk - Pathfinder Endeavours Ltd.

The Cheslatta Carrier Nation has an oral tradition about where their people used to live, the place that was their home before colonization changed their world. Recent wildfires and on-going hydro reservoir fluctuations have significantly impacted this place and it became crucial for them to demonstrate that this has always been their home, since time immemorial. Three seasons of fieldwork has given us a glimpse of the unspeakable archaeological richness of this location. This poster will focus on the distinct lithic assemblage at Tatichek Lake where we have located 100 sites and continue to find more. This part of Canada has not seen a lot of archaeological investigation and it is clear from our work that this gap in our knowledge is even bigger than we knew. The preliminary lithic analysis suggests a long, complex occupation throughout the Holocene and wide-ranging trade networks with evidence of connections to the far North, the Plains, the Columbia Plateau, and the BC coast, demonstrated by the projectile point typology, incredible variety of lithic material and technologies, and a distinct microblade complex. 

An Overview of the Metal Assemblage of the Schreiber Wood Project
Presentation format: Online - pre-recorded
Author(s):
  • Gani Cabezas - University of Toronto Mississauga

The University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) has conducted annual archaeological field school excavations of the former Schreiber family estate as part of the Schreiber Wood Project. The Schreibers lived in three houses on a portion of the current UTM campus property from the late 19th century to early 20th century. To date, the assemblage of metal artifacts from the field school has not been researched as extensively compared to other artifact classes. Under the Schreiber Wood Project’s Work Study program, this study provides a comprehensive overview of all metal artifacts collected from the field school excavations to date to guide future research efforts within the contexts of 19th to 20th-century industrial metal production and Euro-Canadian domestic life. Artifacts with high interpretive potential were sorted and analyzed as case studies, with reference to comparative North American archaeological sites and store catalogues from the period. Specific interest was given to personal artifacts, tools, and furnishings that suggest a predominant use of American mass-produced cast iron and brass imports.

Clever Young Reindeer: Archaeology, Activity Books, and Indigenous Children of Arctic Siberia
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Hailey Kennedy - Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
  • Stella  Razdymakha - Arctic Research Center, Salekhard, Iamal-Nenets Region, Russian Federation
  • Lubov’  Vozelova - Arctic Research Center, Salekhard, Iamal-Nenets Region, Russian Federation
  • Tatiana Nomokonova - Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon

Stitching the Past and Present is an international project designed in partnership with Indigenous Peoples of the Iamal region of Arctic Siberia. Funded through the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the project brings together researchers and community members across Russia and Canada. A crucial element of this endeavour is the development of public educational materials for Nenets and Khanty children. The co-creation of these resources is focused on connecting Iamal communities with their archaeological heritage and highlighting the importance of reindeer hide working, sewing practices, and Indigenous voices. Our presentation will introduce the production and implementation of two activity book volumes, together titled Clever Young Reindeer, which are the first examples of this collaborative effort. These open-access resources are written in Russian and English with integration of Khanty and Nenets languages and are intended to stitch together Indigenous Knowledge and archaeological practice in this region. 

Development of a towed multi-channel GPR array for buried feature surveys over large areas at the former St. Michael's Indian Residential School site, Duck Lake, Saskatchewan.
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Troy Zimmer - Misty Clifton Engineering Limited

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) has become a popular geophysical exploration tool for mapping of buried archaeological features, including the detection of possible unmarked graves at former Indian Residential School (IRS) sites. Conventional pushcart or person-towed surveys are usually time-consuming, however, making their use for larger sites difficult and expensive. The geophysical program being conducted by Misty Clifton Limited at the site of the former St. Michael’s IRS at Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, will require GPR surveys over a combined area of 315 hectares. To cover such a large area a towed, 8-channel multi-GPR array mounted to a wheeled modular cart was designed and built. Reflectance data is streamed via wireless connection to a ruggedized laptop mounted in the tow vehicle, allowing the driver-operator to monitor all 8 channels of incoming GPR data in real time and adjust to changing field conditions during the survey. Preliminary field work conducted at the St. Michael’s IRS site in the winter of 2023-2024 shows the cart can collect 11 to 14 ha (27 to 35 acres) of high-resolution GPR data in a single 6-hour field session, operating in temperatures as low as -20°C and with 5 – 10 cm of snow cover.

Documenting and Understanding a Late-19th Century Euro-Canadian House Foundation (AjGw-535) in Mississauga
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Kayla  Mander - University of Toronto Mississauga
  • Christopher  Kiru - University of Toronto Mississauga

The Schreiber Wood Project, and archaeological field school run by the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), focuses on exploring and documenting a late-19th and early-20th century cultural landscape on part of what is now the UTM campus. During the completion of a fourth-year advanced archaeological fieldwork course, we undertook the recording and documentation of the stone foundation of Iverholme (AjGw-535). This house, constructed in the late-19th century, was consumed in a fire in the early 20th century. Due to poor preservation from the fire and more recent human activity around the site, sections of the foundation are not intact, resulting in gaps in our understanding of the foundation's size and structure. Interpretations of the orientation and style were made using the foundation's dimensions, ArcGIS, historical photographs, and contemporary descriptions of the property. A previously unknown doorway was identified on the north-west wall. Our results indicate Iverholme was a late Victorian hybrid style house, facing North to the Credit River, with a ground floor of approximately 1700ft2. This detailed investigation of a single landscape feature contributes to a better understanding of the Schreiber Wood Project. 

Duhų (Today): Combining Natural Resource Management with Denesułiné Heritage
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Findlay  MacDermid - Cold Lake First Nations
  • Jim Janvier - Cold Lake First Naitons
  • Nikita  Lattery - Cold Lake First Nations
  • Ashlee  Thompson - University of Alberta
  • William T.D. Wadsworth - University of Alberta

Since the eviction of Cold Lake First Nations (CLFN) from its homelands around Xah Tué (Primrose Lake) in 1952, the nation has maintained a focus on returning to reclaim their territory. Led by the Lands Department, CLFN is employing a range of strategies under this objective of reclamation including the reoccupation of traditional sites, ecological monitoring, protected area development, ecological restoration, and archeological studies. Archeology presents us with a tool that allows CLFN to both understand and interpret the sites it is reoccupying, as well as overcome the limitations of a colonial archaeological system that was designed to keep Indigenous nations distanced from their own heritage. This combination of purposeful reoccupation, Indigenous knowledge, and archeological study helps us contextualize modern activities within historical life ways and assert CLFN’s sovereignty. This poster presents practical examples from these reoccupation efforts and contextualizes them within the past, present, and future of Cold Lake First Nations.

Examining Garry Oak Ecosystems as Indigenous Archaeological Landscapes
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Maddi Tolmie - University of Victoria

Garry Oak savannah ecosystems (GOEs) are Indigenous landscapes. Prior to the 1880’s lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples stewarded a diversity of native plants and animals in these once widespread ecosystems. With colonization and the dispossession of Indigenous peoples from these places, GOE stands have decreased in area by 99%. Current research acknowledges that Indigenous fire management and the stewardship of traditional root-foods, such as blue camas, has contributed to the creation and maintenance of these ecosystems. However, I hypothesize that there is a more diverse and currently unrecognized Indigenous history that archaeology is uniquely situated to illuminate. Working with existing site records within past and present GOEs, supplemented by targeted surface surveys, and stratified random archaeological subsurface testing, I argue that GOEs can be reconceptualized as Indigenous archaeological landscapes and that the ecological legacies of burning and cultivation—while key aspects of Indigenous histories —are unlikely to be the only archaeological indicators of Indigenous presence within GOEs. Establishing Indigenous histories is key to asserting Indigenous futures in these places. My master’s research serves to identify, categorize, and create a conversation between the importance of GOEs as Indigenous archaeological sites, as well as spaces where eco-cultural restoration and archaeology intersect.

Exploring the sínkw: Investigating Resource Usage and Responses to Environmental Change in shíshálh Traditional Lands
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Christie Fender - University of Saskatchewan
  • Katie Willie - University of Saskatchewan
  • Lennon Sproule - University of Saskatchewan
  • Glenn Stuart - University of Saskatchewan
  • Tina Greenfield - University of Saskatchewan

In 2021, a collaboration between the shíshálh Nation and the University of Saskatchewan initiated a research project to document long-term adaptive resource management strategies of the shíshálh people in the face of consistently shifting environmental conditions, and to achieve and serve as an example of meaningful reconciliation. One of the goals of this project, sEARCH (sinku Environmental ARCHaeology) is to explore resource usage and environmental interactions within the archaeological record through paleoenvironmental data and traditional knowledge from shíshálh community members. This research summarizes the findings from the analysis of archaeological data found within shíshálh archaeological sites along the Strait of Georgia, with an emphasis on Thormanby Island. 

Flea on the Run: Preliminary Results of a Re-examination of the Biogeography of Pulex irritans L. from Archaeological Locality Data
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Alyshia Reesor - Memorial University of Newfoundland

The Human Flea thrives on human blood, yet exhibits adaptability and opportunism, having been identified on various mammals including pigs, dogs, cats, and burrowing owls. Unlike the Human Louse, which evolved with their primate hosts in Africa, the Human Flea originated in South America, implying that it evolved with another host species before adapting to humans. In 1989, Paul Buckland and Jon Sadler published A Biogeography of the Human Flea, Pulex irritans L. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), to date the most comprehensive analysis of this species biogeography. This paper presents hypotheses about the evolution and routes taken by P. irritans, as it adapted to humans and moved out of South America to reach Europe, and eventually achieved a cosmopolitan distribution. Research published within the last 30 years have added to current understanding of this topic, with several studies of insect remains from archaeological sites having yielded specimens of P. irritans. This poster presents the preliminary results of my review of the available archaeoentomological literature. Using temporal and geographical locality data extracted from databases and publications, I have created a series of maps to illustrate the current state of knowledge about the biogeography of the Human Flea.

Illuminating the Schreiber Wood Project: Exploring the Diversity of Late 19th to Early 20th Century Lighting Devices in Ontario
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Karol Guayasamin - University of Toronto

The Schreiber Wood Project investigates the cultural landscape created by a late 19th to early 20th century settler family on a portion of what is now the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. The project operates as an archaeological field school that focuses on sites (AjGw-534 & -535) associated with two of the three houses built by the Schreiber family. The Schreiber Wood Project has accumulated a large collection of artifacts consisting of ceramic, metal, and glass. Prominent among all of these categories of artifacts from the sites are items related to lighting devices, particularly oil lamps. This poster will provide a tentative criteria for oil lamp characteristics that may serve to differentiate lighting device glass from a large collection of vessel glass. The poster also examines how variations in oil lamps can both indicate differing functions and provide insights into the age of individual artifacts in relation to the Schreiber family occupation during the late 19th to early 20th century.

Loyalist Material Culture and Historical Archaeology in the Grand Lake Meadows, New Brunswick
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Emily Draicchio - Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History (Pointe-à-Callière)
  • Gabriel Hrynick - University of New Brunswick

The Grand Lake Meadows (GLM) was a locus of Loyalist settlement beginning in 1783 in what became the province of New Brunswick. The GLM spans the counties of Queens and Sunbury and is known today as the largest freshwater wetland in New Brunswick and the richest in eastern Canada. Although extensive pre-Contact archaeological research has been completed in the GLM, far less historical archaeology has been conducted, particularly regarding the Loyalists. This poster discusses promising areas in the GLM for future archaeological research through an analysis of GIS site maps alongside archival documents including land grants, probate records, and cadastral maps. In doing so, this poster highlights information about the Loyalists who settled in the GLM and provides a selection of case studies to offer a broader understanding of Loyalist life in New Brunswick.

Meaningful Relationships and Care: Current Practices within Museums Representing Indigenous Peoples
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Tienne  Johnson - Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador

Museums are often regarded as respected places of learning; however, they have played a significant role creating and disseminating stereotypes about Indigenous People by misrepresenting them and their cultures. This, coupled with the often violent way that material culture has been collected, has left museums with legacies that can be harmful and unwelcoming to Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous activism both within and outside heritage spheres has led to documents such as UNDRIP, which affirm Indigenous sovereignties and rights to their culture and heritage, and have set a new precedent for how museums should operate and represent Indigenous cultures. This poster examines eight museums from across Canada, the USA, and Germany to understand how they are engaging with the Indigenous Nations they represent, and further, how they are counteracting their legacies to develop meaningful working relationships.

On This Land They Walked: Looking for a Métis Deathscape
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Maria Nelson - University of Alberta

Métis ancestors are a powerful force. It is through them that we understand our identity, our culture, and our relationships. Their names alone are enough to build and rebuild bonds between people regardless of distance or age; but names are not the only piece of our ancestors that has been left to us. Their bodies act as roots in the earth, anchoring us to the land – a symbol of our existence. My research seeks to understanding the impacts of this and how their bodies can transform the land to create a deathscape. Deathscapes are often viewed as landscapes that have connections to mortuary practices, but they can also extend to include the ways in which memory is understood and how the landscape is imbued with a power that can be linked to belonging and exclusion. I will be visiting with Batoche – a place on the Saskatchewan landscape that is an intersection of Métis and Canadian history, culture, and identity across space and time. To understand the complexity of this deathscape and the extent of its influence, I will have to look to not only to the land but to the people who walk among our ancestors, including myself.

Provisioning the Provisioners: An Analysis of Animal Use in Hudson’s Bay Company Journals from South Branch House in Saskatchewan
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Anna Hoimyr - University of Saskatchewan

South Branch House is a Hudson’s Bay Company fort located on the South Saskatchewan River. It was one of the earliest fur-trade sites in Saskatchewan that operated from 1786 until 1794. Daily journals were kept by the factors over the course of the fort’s operation, with nine of these journals preserved in the HBC archives today. These records hold important information about the uses of various animal species at South Branch House and can be used to understand dietary, subsistence, and trade practices. These journals are utilized in this presentation to answer the following research questions: 1) which animal species were written about and in what quantities, 2) in what seasons animals were used and for what purposes, and 3) how European fur-trader’s dependence on the Indigenous peoples can be seen in the HBC journal records. The answers to these questions contain relevant insights into aspects of hunter’s and trader’s everyday lives, a topic that is not commonly explored in the field of fur trade archaeology.

Reconciling more than a decade of field-school stratigraphic drawings: A case study using AutoCAD.
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Mark Heffernan - University of Toronto Mississauga

The Schreiber Wood Project, an undergraduate field school offered by the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), has been exploring Euro-Canadian occupations on the UTM campus for the past eleven years. Its excavations have tested various features associated with late-19th- to early 20th century occupation of part of the UTM campus property. More than a decade of excavation by the project has resulted in well over 100 stratigraphic drawings. Utilizing AutoCAD, stratigraphic profiles from one large midden feature were combined to create 2D renderings from North/South and East/West to identify patterns in soil types and artifact densities. AutoCAD was used for this process due to its accuracy and infinite scale when creating 2D renderings, and its potential to subsequently create 3D models which is its key benefits over Adobe Illustrator and similar programs. Another benefit to AutoCAD is the ability to filter the renderings for aspects such as cultural (artifacts or features), natural (soil types/colours or natural inclusions (roots/large stones)), or specific cultural groupings (artifacts by raw material). This poster presents the results of this case study and considers the potential value of AutoCAD as an analytical tool in both Cultural Resource Management and academic contexts.

Roots of Research: A Personal Narrative of Indigenous Heritage in the Research Lab
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Keeanna Barron - University of Lethbridge
  • Kenneth Holyoke - University of Lethbridge

This poster will explore the unique perspective of my experiences as a Metis woman and student, engaged in research in a lab setting. In fall 2023, I conducted an independent study analyzing the CgDt-2 (Everett) and CgDt-3 (Deadman’s Pool) lithic assemblages, both sites from Ancestral Wolastoqey territory in New Brunswick. Through artifact analysis, readings, discussions, photography, and interactions with the belongings, I was able to form a well-rounded understanding of the site assemblages from my own perspective. This research enhanced my knowledge of lithic technology, and my understanding of the craftsmanship involved in making these tools. In doing so, the experience shed light on the daily practices and lifestyles of Wabanaki people and deepened my understanding of the Indigenous people who created these lithic pieces. By intertwining my own Indigenous heritage into archaeological research, I hope to shed light on the complexities of balancing Indigenous traditional knowledge with Western knowledge. This poster will discuss the intersection of Indigenous identity, archaeological inquiry, and traditional knowledge in the lab, emphasizing the importance and inclusivity of diverse perspectives in the archaeological field and how I honour my roots while navigating the complexities of academia.

Setting the Table: Euro-Canadian Table-setting Traditions in Mississauga, Ontario, from the early 20th century
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Lilly Maher - University of Toronto Mississauga

Table etiquette and table settings encompass a ritualized and class-specific aspect of late 19th to early 20th century meal-time customs. The combined factors of these customs and their implications for a specific socio-cultural group greatly contribute to archaeological constructions of the recent past. Table setting, in particular, encompass a variety of material sources, whose presence reflects a certain Euro-Canadian meal-time standard with implications for understanding social stratification and class. Employing analysis of historical documentation, in conjunction with recovered artifacts from a site on the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus, I recreate a late 19th century to early 20th century place setting to investigate the social stratification and wealth status of the property residents. This was completed utilizing ceramics, glassware, and utensils recovered from two middens on the UTM property indicating the probable displaying of formal table settings at this location. Analyzing the materials demonstrates this late 19th century to early 20th century family's adherence to contemporaneous societal standards of ceramic services and other components of table settings.

The Effectiveness of Heuristic Cluster Analysis in Domestic Space-use Research on the Northern Plains.
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Zoe Cascadden-Jassal - University of Calgary

Tipi rings are one of the most common archaeological sites found across the Northern Plains. Given their relative abundance, exploring how we can analyze these sites and gain an understanding of their organization is important for elucidating the every day lives of past plains inhabitants. In 2000, a space-use model was developed by Dr. Gerald Oetelaar from the excavation of EgPn-375, a tipi ring site in Alberta. This model was created using visual analysis of artifact distribution. In my work, I re-examined this site to determine if the identified clusters of artifacts used to create the space-use model are present when examined using statistical cluster analysis. This presentation will discuss if the ArcGIS™ tool Cluster Analysis, a heuristic tool which can account for site and artifact-specific characteristics, is an effective tool for examining artifact distributions at archaeological sites. The result of the research indicates that the spatial delineations determined within EgPn-375 are statistically valid, thus the model has continuing applicability with some updates, and indicates that methods of spatial analysis such as Cluster Analysis are useful tools in understanding archaeological space-use and artifact distribution.

Tipis, Bison, and Dogs: Visualizing an Archaeological Feature in Southern Alberta
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Todd Kristensen - Archaeological Survey of Alberta
  • Emily  Moffat - Archaeological Survey of Alberta

Archaeologists in Alberta have studied tipi rings for over 75 years and there are now over 8000 recorded sites in the province with stone circle features interpreted to be the remnants of rocks that anchored tipis. What have archaeologists learned about life in tipis? We review some of the important tipi ring studies in Alberta and visualize their findings with new artwork, diagrams, photographs, and maps to help make technical content accessible and interesting to a wider audience. This project is part of the ongoing Heritage Art Series, the purpose of which is to employ art to captivate public audiences and instill appreciation of Alberta’s past. Tipis are fascinating adaptations: imagery highlights their ingenuity, significance, and inherent connection with animals.

Welcome Back to the New Brunswick Archaeology Podcast: Podcasting as a Tool for Public Archaeology
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Kenneth Holyoke - University of Lethbridge
  • Gabriel Hrynick - University of New Brunswick
  • Emanuel Akel - University of Lethbridge

The New Brunswick Archaeology Podcast Project (NBAPP) was launched in 2023 to respond to a lack of publicly accessible information about archaeological history and archaeological practice in the province. In just over a year, the fortnightly podcast has reviewed the nearly 13,000 year archaeological history of  New Brunswick, profiled important sites, and featured interviews with leading scholars. It has also engaged important topics such as pseudoarchaeology, cultural resource management, publication in archaeology, and Indigenous rights. Podcasting is a uniquely accessible medium for archaeologists to engage with the “many publics,” especially in regions that lack many of the traditional mechanisms for public engagement. The sustained growth of the NBAPP has demonstrated an appetite for this engagement in New Brunswick and more broadly. In this poster, we summarize the progress of the podcast so far, and share some of the lessons we have learned. We suggest that other archaeologists should consider podcasting as a tool for responding to ethical requirements to share and promote archaeology in a manner that is accessible to non-archaeologists, and engage undergraduate students in that process.

Yąnísi (Long Ago): Archaeology with the Denesułine of Łuéchogh Túé
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • William T. D. Wadsworth - Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology / University of Alberta
  • Ashlee R. Thompson - Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology / University of Alberta
  • James Janvier - Cold Lake First Nations – Lands and Resources
  • Nikita Lattery - Cold Lake First Nations – Lands and Resources
  • Fin Macdermid - Cold Lake First Nations – Lands and Resources

The traditional territory of the Denesułiné of Łuéchogh Túé (Cold Lake First Nations, CLFN) has been occupied by Indigenous communities since deglaciation; however, this region has received little archaeological attention. In 1952–1954, CLFN was removed from their territory by the Canadian military in order to establish the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR), a nearly 20’000 km2 munitions testing area in northern Alberta/Saskatchewan. This separation caused deep impacts on the wellness of Indigenous communities who were evicted from their homes and then barred access from returning. As a result of this history, the region remains one of the least archaeologically studied areas in Western Canada. In the early 2000s, CLFN signed an agreement with the Canadian military that allowed nation members access to their territories within the CLAWR. As a result, community-driven archaeological and anthropological research has been taking place. In 2021, a multi-year study of Xah Tué (Primrose Lake) began to 1) identify historical archaeology sites, 2) understand the relationship between pre-contact and historical sites in the region, and 3) document archaeological evidence of CLFN’s forced removal from the CLAWR. This poster presents results from these investigations in the context of the past, present, and future of CLFN.

Yonáthe dé (Future): Developing a Cultural Heritage Policy for the Next Generations of CLFN
Presentation format: In-Person
Author(s):
  • Ashlee R. Thompson - Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology / University of Alberta
  • James Janvier - Cold Lake First Nations - Lands and Resources
  • Nikita Lattery - Cold Lake First Nations - Lands and Resources
  • Fin Macdermid - Cold Lake First Nations - Lands and Resources
  • William T. D. Wadsworth - Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology / University of Alberta

Cultural resource management, often triggered by industrial development, is rooted in colonial legislation, whereby archaeologists assess archaeological sites and make decisions based on their perceived scientific value. While criticisms of current cultural heritage practices are not new, these systems can often frustrate Indigenous nations who wish to use existing legislation to protect areas of historical occupation and importance, while actively using the lands. This is demonstrated by Cold Lake First Nations, whose traditional territory suffers from the impact of activities at the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range and industrial development. Matters are further complicated by the area's overlapping and often discordant legal jurisdictions (federal, provincial - Alberta & Saskatchewan). Over the past few decades, CLFN has worked to establish sovereignty over their traditional lands in the CLAWR but has faced challenges in balancing the restrictive nature of heritage legislation with community-based resource management. In response to these challenges, CLFN has begun developing their own cultural heritage policy. Within the context of the past, present, and future of Cold Lake First Nations, this poster presents some of the activities and progress made toward a policy for current and future archaeological work within their traditional territory.