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2026 Conference Sessions
All times listed in Mountain Daylight Time (UTC/GMT -6:00).
Thursday May 7, 2026
- Willem King, MA student, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
- Genevieve Wick, MA student, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
- Yuxin Cao, MA student, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
Session Abstract
Human-driven environmental change, including pollution, overexploitation, and other factors, has significantly altered the landscape, endangering native species and ecosystems. A key effort in conservation is the restoration of the functions of past ecosystems prior to modern disturbances by reconstructing historical and prehistoric baselines. The archaeological record, with its deep-time perspective, provides unique opportunities to tackle this issue. Leveraging this deep-time perspective, biomolecular archaeology applies a range of techniques, including ancient DNA, stable isotopes, proteomics, and lipid analysis, to inform targeted, actionable conservation strategies for habitat restoration, species recovery, and sustainable resource management. This session aims to highlight how these methods connect the archaeological record to modern conservation efforts in Canada and worldwide.
Our aim is to advance biomolecular approaches to conservation and promote the importance of collaboration among archaeologists, ecologists, geneticists, policymakers, and stakeholders. Any contribution that applies methods in biomolecular archaeology to environmental conservation or policy is welcome, including Indigenous-led projects and/or novel methods.
Presentations
- Damon Tarrant - Simon Fraser University
- Michael Richards - Simon Fraser University
Isotope measurements of archaeological tissues and materials can be used to study past diets, mobility, and climates. Our research focuses on the use of these measurements to explore past human and animal mobility. However, to understand the isotope values of archaeological samples we need to compare them to high-resolution baseline isotope maps across regions and landscapes of interest. Until recently, no baseline isotope maps of British Columbia were available, so a main focus of our recent research has been producing these large-scale maps by measuring the sulfur and strontium isotope ratios of modern plants collected from across British Columbia. Our preliminary results examine the major environmental factors that influence the isotopic ratios from the southern coast of British Columbia to the Rocky Mountains, and how these ratios can be used as a baseline for mobility and migration studies. Further, we discuss our ongoing research developing province wide isoscapes for larger scale studies of trade, mobility, migration, and environmental reconstructions across the province.
- Eric Guiry - Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, and Trent University, Peterborough, ON
- Trevor Orchard - University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON
- Thomas Royle - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Michael Buckley - The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Louis Lesage - Independent Researcher, Wendat Nation, Wendake, QC
- Suzanne Needs-Howarth - Perca Zooarchaeological Research, Toronto, and the Archaeology Centre, University of Toronto
- Alicia Hawkins - University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON
We examine how biomolecular analyses of archaeological fauna can generate conservation-relevant ecological knowledge that is inaccessible from historical observations or modern monitoring alone. Through three late Holocene Lower Great Lakes case studies, we show how stable isotope, aDNA, and proteomic analyses clarify species ecology, ecosystem change, and extinction dynamics at temporal and spatial scales relevant to restoration and management. Analyses of Atlantic salmon from the Lake Ontario watershed demonstrate that individuals from this now-extinct population were freshwater-resident rather than anadromous, resolving long-standing uncertainty about life history and establishing critical baselines for reintroduction planning. Isotopic and proteomic analyses of salmon, lake trout, and whitefishes show that Lake Ontario’s nitrogen cycle and food web structure remained stable for centuries before undergoing an abrupt shift coincident with industrial-scale deforestation in the early nineteenth century, identifying forest clearance—rather than long-term Indigenous land use—as a threshold driver of watershed-scale nutrient disruption. Finally, isotopic and ancient DNA evidence from passenger pigeon demonstrates substantial dietary plasticity prior to extinction, challenging habitat-loss-only explanations and underscoring the dominant role of intensive exploitation. We conclude by outlining future research directions linking biomolecular archaeological datasets from endangered species with conservation planning, emphasizing sustained collaboration among archaeologists, ecologists, and Indigenous communities.
- Genevieve Wick - Presenting - Simon Fraser University
- Rudy Reimer - Simon Fraser University
Pacific salmon are an irreplaceable cultural and ecological keystone species in the Pacific Northwest, with economic importance. They are integral to the identities and ways of life of Indigenous Communities. Ecologically, they play a vital role in returning marine nutrients inland and as a food source for a diverse array of species. Recreational salmon fishing contributes significantly to tourism in British Columbia (BC), and commercial fishery is a multi-million-dollar industry. Prior to colonization, Coast Salish Peoples sustainably managed the salmon population for thousands of years. Since the introduction of commercial fishery in the region ~150 years ago, the salmon population has been decimated. Therefore, the sustainable management of Pacific salmon is vital to the cultural, ecological, and economic future of Canada’s Pacific Northwest.
When informed by traditional knowledge, tools such as ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis can be leveraged to further understand these practices from a deep-time perspective. For example, aDNA can identify the species and sex of harvested salmon and reveal changes in genetic diversity and population structure over time. These sustainable practices can be used by policy makers inform or advocate for changes to modern salmon management practice, ensuring a sustainable future for salmon and, the Pacific Northwest region.
- Willem King - Simon Fraser University
- Hua Zhang - Simon Fraser University
- Dongya Yang - Simon Fraser University
- Christina Giovas - Simon Fraser University
Goats are among the most bioinvasive mammals, with their introduction to islands altering landscapes, contributing to deforestation, and threatening vulnerable floral species. The colonial introduction of goats to the Caribbean island of Curaçao likely caused similar effects historically. However, through traditional archaeological techniques, tracing their origins and contribution to landscape alteration can be difficult to directly assess.
This research addresses just that by applying ancient DNA (aDNA) techniques to compare modern goat feces from five locations across Curaçao with historical paleofeces from the oldest archaeological site on the island (C-1426). A classical PCR-based approach allows for the study of goat geographical origins over time, whereas metabarcoding of chloroplast markers reconstructs diet with validation from shotgun sequencing of a select few samples.
The analysis of goat feces and paleofeces in the Caribbean lays a foundation for aDNA analysis in tropical environments by refining techniques and providing genetic data in an area where it is scarce. Studying dietary preference informs our understanding of the historical impact of introduced species and guides current land management practices and floral restoration across the island and broader Caribbean.
- Uju Rita Onah, The University of British Columbia
- Neha Gupta, The University of British Columbia
Session Abstract
Global Indigenous Peoples’ story is a shared history of peoples who not only survived but thrived in spite of the persistent structures of colonialism. This session explores the question of who tells an Indigenous story, and its relationship to ownership of, and authority in, archaeology. In Canadian archaeology, there is currently limited social and intellectual space for the identities, perspectives and knowledges of diaspora people with Indigenous origins as well as descendant communities. The framing of indigeneity as fixed, unchanging groups that a national government recognizes as Indigenous typically overrides, obscures and diminishes the ways that Indigenous Peoples see themselves and how they relate with other communities. In practice, these racisms are intertwined with colonialism and administrative and legal control over identity, making Indigenous Peoples invisible when they are “dislocated” from their place of origin, disconnecting them from cultural communities. Yet, diaspora communities can provide insights into the experience of colonization in Canada because globally, Indigenous Peoples and descendant communities were colonized with similar goals, similar strategies, and outcomes. This session invites papers focusing on knowledges of Indigenous Peoples and descendant communities in the transnational practice of archaeology. We especially welcome scholars who challenge colonial agendas and destabilize dominant understandings of indigeneity in Canada and beyond.
- David Berikashvili, PHD. The University of Georgia; Andrew Siebert, Calgary Classical Academy
Session Abstract
Medieval fortifications remain among the most enduring material witnesses to the political, military, and cultural landscapes of the past. Castles and strongholds served not only as centers of defense but also as loci of administration, economic control, and symbolic power. While Western European castles have been extensively studied, the fortifications of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus regions that stood at the crossroads of empires, trade routes, and shifting frontiers have received comparatively less international attention. Yet these regions preserve a remarkable diversity of fortified sites, from citadels crowning volcanic promontories to walled urban centers and frontier garrisons. This session seeks to bring together scholars investigating the construction, function, and transformation of medieval fortifications across these interconnected regions. Contributions may explore themes including: architectural typologies and innovations; the role of fortifications in shaping settlement hierarchies and landscapes; military strategies and siege technologies; and the cultural meanings of castles as symbols of authority, identity, and resistance. We also welcome case studies that integrate archaeological, historical, and scientific approaches as bioarcheology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and materials analysis to illuminate the lived experiences of those who built, inhabited, and attacked these strongholds. By highlighting the fortifications of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus within a broader comparative framework, this session aims to foster dialogue on regional particularities as well as shared patterns of medieval defensive architecture. In doing so, it will contribute to a more inclusive understanding of medieval fortifications as dynamic elements of social, political, and cultural life across Eurasia.
Presentations
- David Berikashvili - The University of Georgia, PHD
Medieval fortresses and fortified settlements constitute a pivotal component of the South Caucasus’ cultural heritage, embodying the region’s intricate political and urban trajectories.
Within this context, the archaeological complex of Samshvilde in southern Georgia offers a critical case study for examining the evolution and organization of medieval landscapes.
Despite its significance, the fortification system of Samshvilde has remained largely understudied, with limited understanding of its spatial organization, defensive strategies, and hydrological infrastructure.
Previous archaeological excavations, conducted over the past decade, have provided valuable but insufficient insights. The layout of the Samshvilde Citadel, in particular, was poorly understood, as it appeared to function as the site’s sole fortified element—a configuration atypical for medieval Caucasian urban centers —an impression reinforced by dense vegetation.
To overcome these limitations, LiDAR survey was undertaken in summer 2024, documenting the citadel and its surroundings. The resulting data necessitate a significant reinterpretation of the site’s defensive network, revealing a complex system comprising two principal components and multiple towers.
This study underscores the potential of non-invasive methodologies to advance the analysis of medieval urban and military infrastructures in the region.
- Levan Kvakhadze - The University of Georgia
Zakagori Fortress is a medieval fortified site and former village located in the Truso Valley of northern Georgia, situated on a high, hard-to-access mountain near the confluence of the Tergi and Suatisi rivers at approximately 2240 meters above sea level. The strategic location of the site at the upper entrance to the gorge indicates its historical role in controlling movement through this northern boundary zone and defending communication routes in the Caucasus.
This paper presents results from recent archaeological surveys and landscape analysis of Zakagori’s layout, architectural features, and spatial organization relative to the surrounding terrain. By integrating topographic assessment, architectural documentation, and material culture observations, the study reconstructs functional aspects of the fortress and its defensive strategy. Particular attention is paid to how natural topography and constructed fortifications combine to optimize visibility, control riverine corridors, and regulate access through the valley.
The findings suggest that Zakagori Fortress was not merely an isolated defensive point, but an integral component of a regional medieval defensive network. Placing Zakagori in the broader context of fortifications in the Caucasus enhances understanding of settlement organization, territorial control, and landscape use along key high-altitude routes.
- Kurtis Blaikie, Canadian Cultural Resources Association
- Dave Norris, Woodland Heritage Northwest
Session Abstract
We want Canada’s CRM firms and professionals to share the great work, research and innovation they are doing across all aspects of Cultural Resources Management.
Canada’s CRM sector is responsible for the overwhelming majority of the archaeology undertaken in this country. When these projects make the news, it’s often in a negative light, as a delay or risk to development projects, or because of disturbance to significant or sensitive sites. For every bad news story, CRM professionals identify, study and protect hundreds of archaeological and historical sites.
This session is an opportunity to highlight the day to day work of the CRM sector. We want to hear about the interesting sites, challenging projects, and innovations in methods or special analysis your company has undertaken. We want to hear about both successes and learnings, but mostly we want to give you an opportunity to share work you’re proud of with the broader archaeology community.
This is an opportunity to showcase your firm and the great work you do, organized by the Canadian Cultural Resources Association as part of the CRM Expo.
- Andrea Richardson, Robin Woywitka, Christian Thériault
Session Abstract
Hazards associated with climate change are destroying cultural heritage sites and landscapes at increasing rates across the globe. The Canadian archaeological record is at particular risk because most sites are preserved in surface or shallowly buried settings that have high exposure to erosional forces associated with fire, extreme weather events, floods, permafrost thaw, and rising sea levels. The severity of this was recognized in the CAA’s 2022 statement on climate change archaeology. Calls to action in that document recommended that archaeologists should: 1) act now, 2) work collaboratively, 3) adopt new methods, 4) gather more data, 5) be advocates for threatened archaeological heritage. We welcome contributions that address any of these calls and other relevant studies. A discussion panel of invited speakers will conclude the session.
- Glenn Stuart, Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan
- Terence Clark, Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan
- Tina Greenfield, Department of Anthropology, University of Winnipeg
Session Abstract
This session is dedicated to presenting and synthesizing results from sARP (shíshálh Archaeological Research Project) and its subsidiary sEARCH (sinku Environmental ARCHaeology), bringing together project collaborators to demonstrate how diverse archaeological, climate, and Indigenous knowledge datasets can be integrated to better understand long-term resource management, status inequality, settlement patterns, territoriality, ritual, and human–environment relationships within shíshálh lands (swiya) on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. sARP and sEARCH are collaborative, community-based research initiatives developed in partnership with the shíshálh Nation to investigate long-term adaptive land management patterns from time immemorial through the present to plan for the future.
Central to both sARP and sEARCH is the integrated analysis of archaeological evidence, palaeoenvironmental and climate records, and shíshálh knowledge. Access to the shíshálh Nation’s extensive ethnographic archival database—including interviews, traditional use studies, and land-use documentation—enables detailed reconstructions of past human–environment interactions. Archaeological research focuses on the antiquity and intensity of resource management through examinations of both previously excavated and newly obtained archaeological collections combined with investigations into behavioural patterns reflecting ideology, mobility, and status. Importantly, sARP and sEARCH operate within a formal legal framework of Reconciliation, aligning with Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This session presents sARP and sEARCH as models for archaeological research in the Era of Reconciliation, offering critical reflection on collaborative practices, data integration, and governance while advancing new understandings of Indigenous economies on the Northwest Coast.
- Curt Carbonell, Independent
Session Abstract
There is nothing unique about Canada’s education system that inoculates its population from anti-intellectualism. At home and abroad, funding is being gutted in the name of cost savings and the health of millions is being influenced by anti-science populism rather than data-driven expertise. Archaeology is not immune to these problems. As Humanities and social sciences programs across the world are being decimated, heritage conservation and cultural resource management are reaching a crisis point where there is more archaeology required than there are archaeologists to do it. So, what are archaeologists doing to combat the growth of anti-intellectualism?
The continuing popularity of pseudoarchaeological television and streaming programmes, along with social media apps full of pseudoscientific videos, suggests a public interest and demand for archaeology. However, uncontested by genuine archaeological research, these media merely serve to contribute to anti-intellectualism, spreading objectively and demonstrably false ideas as plausible if not probable by conflating “just asking questions” with rigorous scientific inquiry. Additionally, as generative AI art becomes more sophisticated, the effort required to produce pseudoarchaeological content is becoming increasingly trivial and risks dominating the popular narrative of human history, feeding into denialism, erasure, and anti-science rhetoric.
Archaeology requires researching, writing, citing, and quality presentation. In other words, it takes time, a luxury unavailable to many of those best positioned to share their expertise. This, and the constant need for online promotion and engagement, make it unfortunate, if not unsurprising, that many professional archaeologists choose to avoid public engagement through popular media.
However, the problems of anti-intellectualism are not going away on their own. This session invites papers that examine how archaeologists are sharing archaeology. Where are we succeeding and how can we overcome obstacles? How can we collectively, as a community and discipline, support one another to combat pseudoarchaeology, anti-intellectualism, denialism, and erasure?
- Jack Ives, University of Alberta (Emeritus)
- Robin Woywitka, MacEwan University
Session Abstract
The questions of when and how human beings entered North America endure as keystone themes of Quaternary science. Although intrinsically archaeological questions, addressing them has spurred significant advances in many social and natural science disciplines for over a century, inquiry of human dispersal into and within the North American landscape also provides a space where Indigenous ways of knowing and scientific principles can intertwine, although this remains a developing practice.
These epistemological connections mirror the geographic, cultural, and biological connections observed in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene archaeological record. What appeared to be a simple story of ice age journeys between two ice sheets has turned into a complex web that ties Asia to America, coast to interior, and most importantly, humans to each other. These bonds also resonate through time, ranging from scientific, narrative, and spiritual pasts into the studies and stories of today.
The aim of this session is to examine the entry of humans into North America and the legacy of that arrival. Studies from archaeological, Indigenous, anthropological, geoscientific, paleoenvironmental, genomic, historic, and any other relevant perspectives are welcome.
Presentations
- Martin Magne - Ecofoc Consulting BC Limited, Retired Parks Canada
- Zebedee Kawei - Ecofor Consulting BC Limited
- Joss Clifford - Ecofor Consulting BC Limited
- Bob Dawe - Royal Alberta Museum
The Tlingit Homeland Energy Limited Partnership is building the Atlin Hydro Expansion Project in northwestern British Columbia to supply the Yukon energy grid. Ecofor Consulting BC Ltd. has undertaken archaeological impact assessment and mitigation studies within the Surprise Lake - Pine Creek project corridor since 2021, recording 59 new sites, revisiting 8 previously recorded sites, and undertaking mitigative excavations at 32 of these. The assemblages include several with well represented microblade technology, others with Northern Archaic material, and a few with intriguing lanceolate points strongly comparing to Mesa and possibly Sluiceway complexes from Alaska. These complexes are thought to represent a Late Pleistocene/ Early Holocene “Paleoindian” tradition that dates 12,900 to 11,200 years Cal BP. This paper offers morphological and metric data for the THELP project Mesa/Sluiceway projectile points and discusses implications of a possible focus of these complexes in this region.
- Grace Kohut - Lifeways of Canada Limited, Calgary, Canada
- Vanessa Ockerman - Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
The Fletcher Site, a well-known Cody occupation in Southeastern Alberta, is one of the oldest bison communal hunting locations in the province. It has been subject to multiple phases of excavation over the decades, including the earliest headed by Richard Forbis in the 1960’s. Our study, and the topic of this presentation, revisits the materials recovered during excavations from 1963-1964 in which nearly 56,000 fragments of bone have been unassessed until now. Through zooarchaeological analysis, insights into Cody Period peoples’ reliance on bison are explored, including herd demographics, bone modification, and skeletal portion quantification. Additionally, we present an updated radiocarbon date for this site, directly on bone, establishing the Fletcher Site as one of the oldest among Cody Complex sites at 11,600-8,785 cal. BP. These findings represent an important record in understanding Indigenous peoples’ relationship to bison in the Early Holocene.
- Kevin P. Gilmore HDR
- John W. Ives University of Alberta (emeritus)
Session Abstract
The story of the Dene language family starts early in the Pleistocene, a mid-Holocene inflection of Siberian origin, and eventual expansion to encompass many parts of western North America. The theme for the session will be broad, looking at the Dene experience from deep time to the present day, the initial migration south and west from the northern Canadian and interior Alaskan homeland to the coast of the current states of California and Oregon, the western Great Plains, and eastern Great Basin, and the eventual dispersal and differentiation of the different groups to modern homelands. We welcome a diversity of approaches and topics, and the intent of this session is to expand on the narrower focus of the Apachean Origins session at the 2022 CAA meeting in Edmonton to include all aspects of the Dene experience, from their arrival in the North to their role in the Southwest culture area as agents of innovation, trade and social evolution.
Presentations
- John W. (Jack) Ives - University of Alberta
Ideas concerning adoption of the bow and arrow in North America have surfaced over the decades, occasionally with reference to the role ancestral Dene people had in its spread toward the American Southwest. The Kehoes suggested the Avonlea Phase represented Dene people emerging on the northern Plains from the Subarctic bearing complex bows. More recently, Garvey et al. (2026) indicated that Southwestern arrival of Arctic derived complex bows “almost certainly reflects the retention of the technology by Apacheans as they moved from the Sub-Arctic.” These proposals fail to address several evidentiary flaws, among them the facts that: 1) late period bow forms for the Yukon and Northwest Territories are known, were adopted late, and were self-bows; 2) Inner Asian derived complex bows arrived with the mid-Holocene Arctic Small Tool tradition, but subsequently disappeared; 3) complex bow technology only reappeared with the Thule spread, now known to have occurred in the AD 13th century; and 4) archaeological, linguistic and genetic evidence indicate that Apachean ancestors were far to the south by then. Dene language family geography actually created multiple vectors for the transmission of bow technology to and by ancestral Dene populations, involving the Northwest Coast, Plateau, and northern Plains.
- Grace Kohut - Lifeways of Canada Limited, Calgary, Canada
- John Ives - Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Hailey Kennedy - Ember Archaeology, Sherwood Park, Canada
- Joel Janetski - Department of Anthropology, Brigham Young University, Provo, USA
- Tatiana Nomokonova - Department of Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Promontory Cave 1 (42BO1), overlooking the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah, has been recognized as an important setting for interactions between incoming Subarctic groups, possibly of ancestral Dene origin, and peoples of the Great Basin during the thirteenth century CE. Decades of archaeological work at the cave have produced a substantial assemblage of faunal remains representing a variety of species. In this presentation, we focus on pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), highlighting its significance in these cultural encounters. Using zooarchaeological methods, we assessed carcass processing practices, demographic composition, and the seasonality of pronghorn use at the site. The fundings indicate that complete carcasses were likely transported to the cave, and that their heads were processed with notable care, as evidenced by traces of brain extraction and possible tongue removal. Demographic and seasonal analyses show that that both male and female pronghorn from nearly all age categories, from fetal to old adult, were consumed at Promontory Cave 1 during fall, winter, and spring.
- Tracy Martens, Royal Saskatchewan Museum
Session Abstract
Fibre and perishable artifacts present unique analytical, conservation, and interpretive challenges stemming from their inherent perishability and the lack of attention they receive. Recent research highlights the need for further work on basic plant fibre identification procedures and reference materials, as well as on basic training in artifact identification, description, handling, and storage procedures. This session invites papers and project descriptions focused on detailed recording, conservation and analysis of fibre and perishable artifacts from archaeological, historical, or museum contexts. We welcome projects that demonstrate the research value and potential of these artifacts, that contribute to or utilize new methods for fibre or dye identification, or that demonstrate best practices for handling, recording, and storing fibre and perishable artifacts and associated tools.
- Peter Dawson, Christina Robinson, Madisen Hvidberg, Mavis Chan
Session Abstract
Across Western Canada, many culturally significant places—historic buildings, Indigenous heritage landscapes, industrial sites, and community-valued structures—are increasingly threatened by wildfire, flooding, climate instability, development pressures, and long-term neglect. Although many of these places remain undocumented or undesignated, they hold deep meaning for the communities and Nations connected to them. The Alberta Digital Heritage Archive (ADHA) was established in 2017 with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop a scalable, community-informed model for digital preservation across the region. Using terrestrial LiDAR, aerial photogrammetry, and other reality-capture tools, the ADHA curates high-resolution 3D datasets that support reconstruction, monitoring, and teaching applications. The ADHA is part of a rapidly expanding ecosystem of digital heritage work occurring throughout Western Canada.
This session invites contributions from British Columbia, Yukon, NWT and the Prairie Provinces that explore how digital technologies are being used across Western Canada to document, protect, and revitalize heritage resources. We welcome papers on LiDAR, photogrammetry, 3D modelling, remote sensing, VR/AR, database design, and related methods, with attention to community partnerships, Indigenous data governance (FAIR/CARE), methodological innovation, and the role of digital documentation in addressing growing heritage vulnerability.
Presentations
- Robert Gustas - Archaeological Survey of Alberta
Coastal shell midden deposits are a quintessential element of the archaeological record on the Pacific Northwest Coast recording thousands of years of daily life. Here I present new research which contributes to understandings of pre-contact Indigenous demographics and marine resource use in Nuu-chah-nulth Territories in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada. This research combines spatial analysis, zooarchaeology, and human metabolic requirements to estimate the volume of midden sites, the harvested fish that they contain, and the minimum local human population that could have been supported from these fish. These archaeologically derived estimates of population and biomass are grounded in a computationally conservative inductive theoretical framework which draws on archaeological data and minimizes the use of analogy and historical comparison. I show that known Barkley Sound shell midden sites comprise over 100,000 m3 of sediment representing the harvesting of over 1,000,000,000 fish by Indigenous fishers. The calories derived from these fish would be sufficient to support a population of nearly 1,000 individuals per day over the last three millennia. This research offers a framework for creating volume, biomass, and ultimately population estimates in other coastal sites globally and has important implications for governance and natural resource policy in Indigenous communities.
- Katsi'tsahen:te Cross-Delisle, Mohawk Council of Kahnawa:ke
- Kelly Marquis, Mohawk Council of Kahnawa:ke
Session Abstract
Archaeology is often framed as a neutral Scientific practice on data collection, standardized methodologies, and material analysis. Yet when working with Indigenous Ancestors and their Belongings, it is deeper than practice. Archeaology carries responsibilities that extend far beyond technical procedures. It requires respect, accountability, and an ethical relationship with the Earth, the Waters, and the communities whose histories are being studied.
This session centers on the importance of rematriation within Archaeological practices, with a focus on the return of Indigenous Ancestors and their Belongings to the communities from which they originate. Rematriation is not only an act of physical return, but a restoration of responsibility, authority, and relational knowledge that has long been displaced by colonial research frameworks.
The presentation emphasizes the value of oral history, land-based knowledge, and Indigenous worldviews as legitimate and essential forms of data. These knowledge systems offer interpretive depth that cannot be accessed through material analysis or written accounts alone. By prioritizing Indigenous languages and epistemologies, Archaeological sites are understood not as a static location or resources, but as living relatives, places embedded with memory and spirit. Reminding us to maintain those ongoing relationships.
The session also explores the reclamation of Archaeology through Indigenous language, challenging Western Scientific terminology and proposing Indigenous language-based understandings of Archaeological concepts. Language shapes interpretation: reclaiming it is a crutial step towards Indigenous authority within the discipline.
By bringing together rematriation, community-led interpretation, and Indigenous knowledge systems. This session calls for Archaeological practices rooted in responsibility rather than extration. From Mother Earth to our hands, we as Archaeologists hold a profound obligation to ensure that what is unearthed is treated not as data alone, but as relations that must ultimately be returned to their peoples to be respectfully cared for and loved.
- Natascha Beisswenger-Mooney, Western University and TMHC inc.
Session Abstract
Whether in passing or on a daily basis, the spaces that we engage with hold many stories about the past. These stories may be beneath the ground, held in memory, or even hidden in plain sight. This session explores how people remember, rediscover, and recreate heritage landscapes, as well as the landscapes’ history and significance. In North America, when background research suggests that a location is culturally significant, archaeologists, especially those in CRM, may excavate to find, collect, and record artifacts and features that the landscape may have hidden beneath its surface. However, using a shovel and trowel to rediscover the heritage landscape simply scratches the surface of what can be learned. Archival studies and digital technologies offer additional ways to rediscover the community and individual histories held within heritage landscapes and recreate what the heritage landscape may have previously looked like. Additionally, the growing emphasis on descendant and community engagement through individuals’ memories or oral histories adds a human element that is essential for a more holistic understanding of the heritage landscapes. Interdisciplinary methods can help answer questions about heritage landscapes hidden in plain sight, such as repurposed or ruined buildings, or in places where excavation is highly intrusive, such as cemeteries.
Contributions that consider novel ways to retell, rediscover, and recreate heritage landscapes are welcome. Potential themes could include: How are different technologies and practices being used to rediscover and record heritage landscapes? In what ways are heritage landscapes narrated and remembered by communities? How are heritage landscapes being protected, incorporated, or recreated using various technologies?
Presentations
- Natascha Beisswenger-Mooney - Department of Anthropology, Western University
In this paper, I present early findings from my master's research regarding how the heritage landscape of German-Texan settlers in Quihi, Texas, has been remembered and engaged with by the descendant community. Quihi was settled by German migrants as part of a settler-colonial project in the 19th century. In the decades following German settlers' arrival in Quihi, they began constructing rock houses and creating a new built landscape with churches and shops. Some of these 19th-century buildings still stand, while others have fallen into ruin. My research focuses on two of the 19th-century rock houses that have fallen into ruin, as well as the landscape surrounding them. During my fieldwork, I created 3D models of the ruins using photogrammetry and conducted semi-structured oral history interviews with seven individuals from the descendant community, focusing on personal and family experiences with these houses. During the interview participants shared recollections of (re)discovery of their ancestors' homes, how those who lived there remember them, and information about the houses' lives. I conclude by discussing how the 3D models are being layered with archives and the oral histories to create public-facing outputs.
- Rory Succee - Western University
This paper presents findings from my master’s research, which explores how the community of D’Hanis, Texas used headstones as a form of identity negotiation. Part of this research included June 2025 fieldwork where headstones were photographed and 3D modeled through photogrammetry, virtually preserving the cultural heritage landscape for future generations. Further, this project was supported by the community who provided cemetery records and maps. This paper discusses the ways that community involvement, combined with archives, in a cemetery study allows for deeper analysis of communal histories that are depicted on the heritage landscape. Further, this paper explores the possibility for digital headstone models to allow the community to engage with their ancestors and create new or recall old memories as well as advantages or disadvantages of using digitization. To close, I will discuss the ways in which descendants have continued to revisit the cemetery by replacing, updating, and relocating headstones and the heritage landscape. Overall, this project highlights how past and present community members continued to engage with D’Hanis’ heritage landscape and how 3D models potentially offer new forms of engagement with memories.
- William T. D. Wadsworth, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia
- Lisa Small, PhD Student, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto
- Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary
Session Abstract
Despite previous work (primarily centered in Eastern Canada) Black heritages sites remain understudied and poorly represented in Canadian scholarship, an issue addressed by sessions at the 2019 and 2024 CAA’s which highlighted the important, but limited, work that had occurred in this space. Through the identification and study of Black heritage sites, papers in this session highlight the important work that has occurred in the intervening years to amplify stories of the Black communities and individuals who are part of Canadian history and demonstrate that archaeological study of Black heritage sites can counter histories of erasure, both in the past and present, through the preservation and celebration of heritage sites. The heightened need for this work is underscored by growing threats to Black heritage sites, which increasingly face pressures from development, social dynamics, and revisionist historical narratives that risk erasing these communities and their history. By investigating Black heritage sites across the country, archaeologists have the opportunity to tell historical stories in a way that includes stories from the many Black individuals and communities who have contributed to our modern identities and to create historical narratives in which these communities see themselves represented.
Presentations
- Holly Martelle - TMHC Inc.
- Matthew Beaudoin - TMHC Inc.
- Joshua Dent - TMHC Inc.
- John Moody - TMHC Inc.
“Make a difference within the space you are given.” Canadian singer-songwriter, Julie Black.
It is a disciplinary myth that archaeological consulting contributes little to archaeological praxis and transformative change. In actual fact, the “space” of archaeological consulting offers the greatest of opportunities for evoking reflection and collaboration, creating both resistance and change to the status quo. This paper provides examples of how the archaeological consulting and heritage firm of TMHC Inc., is activating a place for Black heritage within its day-to-day activities, from heritage commemoration to public presentations, database management, municipal planning, and archaeological reporting.
- Emily Draicchio - McGill University
This paper unsettles the familiar narrative of Canada as a haven for people escaping U.S. slavery via the Underground Railroad by identifying and investigating a selection of sites used as living quarters by Black enslaved people in Loyalist New Brunswick (1783-1834). While scholarship on Canadian slavery has grown, archaeological research remains limited, with most studies focused on plantations in the U.S., Caribbean, and South America. Drawing on community-based archaeological research that integrates surveys, oral histories, archival records, and planned future excavations, this paper expands the archaeology of slavery beyond tropical plantation contexts to the temperate North. It examines practices of fugitivity through an analysis of fugitive slave advertisements alongside a GIS-based survey of enslaved quarter sites to map potential escape routes and connections to free Black communities across the province. By centering Black heritage sites associated with both enslavement and freedom in Loyalist New Brunswick and outlining future community-based research, this paper demonstrates how archaeology can challenge narratives of erasure and Canadian exceptionalism, while foregrounding Black livingness and resistance. It contributes to a more inclusive archaeological history of the African Diaspora and Transatlantic Slavery by meaningfully accounting for the experiences of enslaved people and their descendants in Canada.
- Holly Martelle - TMHC Inc.
- Elise Harding-Davis - African-Canadian Heritage Consultant
A recent TMHC Inc. archaeological excavation of a highly significant freedom-seeker farm near Windsor, Ontario has created opportunities for rekindling public memory about the rural community’s Black roots tracing back to the settlement schemes of the Colored Industrial Society and Refugee Home Society. Despite a Black presence in Essex County since the mid-to-late 1700s and a general appreciation of Windsor’s borderland Underground Railroad history alongside its urban Black settlement centres, memory of the early Black farming community has been nearly erased. In an area where multi-generational Scottish and Irish century farms are well-celebrated and archivally-documented, archaeologists rarely apply a Black lens to the identification of rural farmsteads and assignment of cultural heritage value. Early Black archaeological sites are eminently threatened as rural Windsor experiences rapid development stemming from the building of a new electric vehicle battery plant and hospital, alongside expansive supporting infrastructure. This paper discusses TMHC’s community-centric approach to rebuilding memory within the local and archaeological communities to both celebrate and protect Black heritage.
- Solène Mallet Gauthier, University of Alberta
- Sara Lefurgey, University of Alberta
Session Abstract
Although historical archaeology has been at the center of Canadian archaeology since its early beginnings, some parts of the country and topics, such as settler history, have been explored more than others. We turn here to Western Canada, where researchers have not only been increasingly thinking about historical archaeology, but also going beyond traditional questions, methods, and topics. Building on our colleagues’ previous 2024 Saskatoon CAA conference session, which centred on historic period archaeology in Saskatchewan, this session aims to showcase new projects, themes, and approaches exploring historical archaeology in Western Canada more broadly. We invite papers from professionals, academics, and students related to the post-contact period in the western provinces, especially those focused on new methodologies, technologies, the critical reexamination of previous collections or research projects, and/or fresh perspectives on minority and marginalized groups.
Presentations
- Shawn Morton - Northwestern Polytechnic
- Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown - Athabasca University
- Reily Steidel - University of Alberta
At the Old Bezanson Townsite (OBT), in the Peace Country of Treaty 8 Alberta, history feels remarkably close. Although abandoned just over a century ago, the original townsite continues to thrive in the memories shared by local residents and history buffs, and as a gathering place for the community. Since 2021, it has also served as the focal point for an ongoing, public-oriented archaeological research project. In this paper, we explore the unique opportunities that a site like the OBT offers for public engagement in archaeology and heritage activities, as well as its value as a training ground for future archaeologists. We also provide an overview of our first three seasons of survey and excavation at the site.
- M. Berry, Seed Cultural and Environmental Heritage
- J. Barteaux, Seed Cultural and Environmental Heritage
- N. Risdon, Seed Cultural and Environmental Heritage
Session Abstract
People have always made, inhabited, and cared for a place through story, practice, and relationship. This conference session examines how meaning is embedded in landscapes and how those meanings are recognized, extracted, interpreted, and cared for over time. Drawing on archaeological and historical examples and highlighting spaces that reflect dynamic lifeways and diverse forms of symbolic expression, the session explores how narratives are materially and immaterially inscribed, engaged through archaeological and community-based research, and interpreted and protected through dynamic and unique ways long after their creation. The session moves across scales, from specific sites to expansive cultural landscapes, foregrounding both community and Indigenous ways of knowing as essential frameworks for understanding archaeological signatures, place-making and stewardship. Rather than approaching landscapes as static backdrops or bounded sites, the session invites contributions that emphasize place as relational, living, and continually renewed through practice, memory, and responsibility.
- Evelyn Nimmo, Univeristy of Alberta
- Séamus Rudden, University of Alberta
Session Abstract
Archaeological museum and teaching collections are repositories of material evidence, ordered through classification, documentation, and analytical protocols. Yet collections also function as interpretive and relational assemblages, in which meaning is made not only through objects and texts, but through spatial, sensory, embodied, narrative, and social forms of engagement. This session will explore multi-modal curation and knowledge mobilization as an approach to integrating different ways of knowing into museum and teaching collections. Here, we consider multimodality as a framework that moves beyond multisensory or multimedia approaches, attending to how different modes of meaning-making, including material, bodily, spatial, visual, oral, and textual, interact to produce knowledge. From this perspective, collections are not passive stores of data, but active assemblages in which knowledge is continually negotiated and transformed. Focusing on narratives, accessibility, and multi-sensorial engagement, we will examine how these practices expand what is understood as curatorial knowledge and transform how collections are used, interpreted, and cared for. Rather than treating narrative, embodied, and community-based knowledges as supplementary to material and documentary records, multi-modal approaches can foreground them as integral to curatorial practice and to archaeological interpretation.
The session welcomes contributions that explore how these multi-modal approaches are implemented in concrete contexts, including collections management, teaching, exhibitions, and community-based projects. We are particularly interested in work that foregrounds embodiment, accessibility, and collaboration with a range of publics and descendant communities. This session asks what it means to curate not only material belongings, but also relationships, experiences, and multiple forms of knowledge, and how multi-modal curation might reshape the ethical and pedagogical work of archaeological museum and teaching collections.
- William T. D. Wadsworth, University of British Columbia / University of Alberta
- Isaac S. Bender, TMHC Inc./Western University
Session Abstract
Non-invasive archaeological methods have become crucial components in truth and reconciliation initiatives across Canada. Archaeologists and Indigenous Nations are regularly employing these technologies to answer a broad spectrum of questions while grappling with the associated complexities. Most notably among these applications is the deployment of geophysical and remote sensing techniques (e.g., ground-penetrating radar or GPR) to identify graves at highly sensitive sites (e.g., former Indian Residential Schools). While ground search techniques and results often dominate public discourse, in practice, non-invasive archaeology encompasses a much broader suite of methods, applications, and questions.
This session will explore the breadth of non-invasive research being undertaken within Canadian archaeology, with a focus on applications, challenges, and ethical responsibilities related to investigating burial landscapes and other truth and reconciliation initiatives. Presentations will showcase applications of ground- and drone-based geophysical and remote-sensing technologies; their integration with archaeological, archival, oral testimony, and geospatial evidence; and the complexities and challenges that come with conducting this type of work. Papers may also address issues such as data sovereignty, analytical uncertainty, trauma-informed and culturally-grounded practice, and the challenges associated with communicating results to Survivors, descendant communities, and the public.
Presentations
- Scott Hamilton - Lakehead University
Popular understanding of Indian Residential School (IRS) investigations emphasizes near-surface geophysics and drone imagery. These data are usually integrated with Survivor memories, archival records and ground inspection to achieve ‘multi-proxy’ insight. This requires interdisciplinary research teams, development of Indigenous technical capacity, and strategies for coping with information overload, analytic ‘silo’ effects and project management bottlenecks. This is easy to say but hard to achieve.
This presentation offers examples how historic imagery can further analysis by providing historical and taphonomic context for remote sensing output. It can reveal the evolving cultural geography of IRS grounds, and aid interpretation of Survivor testimony and archival texts.
While much has been learned since 2021, over 180 years of Canadian IRS operations cannot be addressed in less than 5 years. By 2024 Canada began stepping back from its commitments, with funding ending on March 31, 2026. What happens now? What about incomplete ground searches? What happens to information collected but not consolidated, analyzed, curated and archived? How do we face survivors and families who still don’t know the children’s fates?
- John Somogyi-Csizmazia - Moderator
Session Abstract
Abstract
Archaeological consulting in Canada plays a critical role in cultural resource management, development review, and heritage stewardship. Yet, despite increasing attention to equity, diversity, and inclusion across the discipline, the lived experiences of non indigenous ethnic minorities working in archaeological consulting remain underrepresented and insufficiently examined. This panel is a continuation of previous CAA discussions bringing together archaeologists from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds to share personal and professional experiences navigating consulting practice within varied regional, institutional, and regulatory frameworks across Canada.
Panelists will explore themes including access to employment and advancement, workplace culture, fieldwork dynamics, interactions with clients, regulators, and Indigenous communities, and the emotional and professional labour involved in negotiating identity in predominantly Eurocentric professional spaces. The discussion will also address systemic barriers, micro-aggressions, mentorship gaps, and strategies for resilience, advocacy, and change within consulting environments.
The session invites participation from ethnic archaeologists’ community at all career stages, consultants, regulators, and allied professionals committed to building a more reflective and representative discipline.
- Dr, Alison Landals, Stantec
- Dr. Margaret Kennedy
Session Abstract
Even though it has been three years since Brian (Barney) Reeves died in August of 2023, it is a testament to his profound impact on the field of archaeology and more importantly on his former students, colleagues and friends that we gather in Canmore to remember and celebrate his impressive legacy. The papers to be presented at this session reflect Barney’s influences and foundational ideas in archaeology - his major contributions to Plains/Mountain culture history and classification through his pioneering recording programs in Waterton National Park and the Crowsnest Pass, his deep interest in northern plains ethnography, ethnobotany, communal bison hunting (Head-Smashed-In), archaeoastronomy and ceremonial landscapes, all of which was enhanced by his decades-long and close friendship with a number of Piikani elders. Also to be considered was his amazingly wide first-hand familiarity with the archaeological literature and artifact collections inside and outside of the plains and his impressive ability to synthesize vast quantities of information into comprehensive models of culture history. He brought an insatiable curiousity and dedication to the research he took on and profoundly influenced many of us throughout our careers. The papers to be given in this session honour his memory and personality, his ongoing academic legacy and highlight the large number and variety of contributions he made to archaeology.
Presentations
- Patrick Rennie - Montana DNRC (State of Montana)
An opportunity arose in north-central Montana to apply and test Reeves and Kennedy’s (2017) concept of “Ceremonial Landscapes”. Firstly, this opportunity resulted from two different types of medicine wheels being situated within two distinct 2,500-acre blocks of State land. Secondly, the opportunity arose because the State of Montana began purchasing drones for a variety of field applications in 2018. Drone photography and advances in GIS technology allow efficient and accurate documentation of large-scale areas that contain hundreds of stone features. The two subject Montana Ceremonial Landscapes are 70 miles/113 km apart and approximately 180 miles/290 km from the general area investigated by Reeves and Kennedy (2017) in southeastern Alberta/southwestern Saskatchewan. A seven-year study of the two Montana localities demonstrates many similarities with the Reeves and Kennedy (2017) study, thereby validating the importance of inventorying large scale areas around medicine wheels and documenting ancillary features.
Reference Cited:
Reeves, Brain O.K., and Margaret A. Kennedy
2017 Stone Feature Types at Ceremonial Site Complexes on the Lower Red Deer and the
Forks of the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan Rivers with Ethnohistorical Discussion. Archaeology in Montana 58(1):1-44.
- Brian Vivian - Lifeways of Canada Limited, Calgary, Canada
- Claire Bourges - Lifeways of Canada Limited
In partnership with two other colleagues, Barney Reeves founded Lifeways of Canada in 1972. Lifeways was the frist Historical Resource Consulting firm in Western Canada. Over its fifty-four years of operation, Lifeways has remained steadfast in undertaking Historical Resource Assessments, implementing major surveys, and completing large-scale excavations that have contributed significantly to the archaeology of the regions the company has worked in. In this paper we focus on Barney Reeves, examine the directions he set for Lifeways, and review the impact Barney's tutelage has had on the development of consulting archaeology in Western Canada.
- Alison Landals - Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Brian Reeves’ 1970 definition of the Old Women’s phase did not ascribe it to any ethnic affiliation, following the strict, established convention of those times. However, by placing it within his “Napikwan” tradition, it was clear that he conceived the Phase as ancestral to Algonkian speaking peoples. When his dissertation was eventually published in 1983, he clarified that he saw the Phase as ancestral to both the Blackfoot and Gros Ventre people. Over the succeeding decades multiple researchers have focused on more fully describing Old Women’s material culture and phase indicators, its temporal/geographic extent and especially its ethnic affiliation; the sheer strength of the correlation of this phase with the ancestral Blackfoot went from “daring” to “dogma” in a generation. At the same time, any place for the Gros Ventre within the Old Women’s phase has dwindled into irrelevance and invisibility. This paper will consider reasons for this situation and Reeves’ more recent attempt to ascribe Gros Ventre affiliation to stone features within the Forks ceremonial landscape. Alternate phase associations for the Gros Ventre are also considered.
- Dale Boland, Roy Northern Land & Environmental/Aim Land Services
- Jordi Malasiuk, WSP
- Christina Poletto, Stantec
- Andrea Richardson, Cape Sable Historical Society
- Elizabeth Robertson, Two Worlds Consulting
- Michelle Wickham, Bison Historical Services
Session Abstract
This poster session honours the legacy of Janet Blakey – her love for and contributions to archaeology, and her gift for supporting and advancing archaeology by creating lasting friendships with and networks among her peers and colleagues. We invite participants from all stages and branches of the field – student, avocational, academic, consulting and beyond – to join us in celebrating Janet’s ability for making lasting bonds in her archaeological pursuits, along with her talent for creating effective and engaging conference posters. We particularly encourage contributions that highlight Janet’s passion for public archaeology, Alberta archaeology and what it means to be a consulting archaeologist. At the same time, like Janet, this session also welcomes contributions that make broader connections between archaeology and the many people for whom it holds meaning.
Presentations
- Autumn Saulnier - University of Alberta
A key aim of experimental archaeology is to ‘recreate’ past phenomena through controlled and objective testing of hypotheses, fostering a product-focused approach that commonly dismisses the subjective and relational experiences of the crafts being studied. Yet, this experience is an integral aspect of how many North American Indigenous cultures understand and perceive their relationships to objects. Our innate uncertainty about the past further limits the possibility of recreating it, making artefact ‘replications', however morphologically correct, a shell of humanity. There are also inherent circumstantial differences between past lifeways and present academia that limit the possibility of replication; for example, deadlines, outcome biases, and a lack of habitus.
This research proposes a multivocal approach to experimental archaeology that promotes Indigenous science, experience, and relationality. The main focus will be on building a process-oriented experience of ceramic production centred on community, relationality, reciprocity, and sensorial experience. The aim will be to experiment with the process of creating ceramics that mirror pre-contact pottery vessels found in Alberta. This experience will include hands-on material sourcing from non-urban areas, manufacturing and pit-firing of ceramic wares, and documenting project and personal successes and/or failures.
- Helen Dunlop (Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Journal of Archaeology)
- Todd Kristensen (Archaeological Survey of Alberta)
Session Abstract
The majority of archaeological work in Canada is not being disseminated to its potential. This session offers exposure to provincial, national, and international publication venues as well as the rationales to publish. In particular, how can we share Cultural Resource Management data? How do we publish for descendent communities? And have modern conditions changed the utility of theses, dissertations, and the value of publishing them? Presentations will help guide future submissions, challenge conventional ideas about publishing, and discuss broader impacts of knowledge production in Canadian archaeology.
- Arianne Boileau, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Royal University
- Mary Kate Kelly, Department of General Education, Mount Royal University
Session Abstract
Archaeology is an inherently multi-disciplinary pursuit. To build narratives that integrate the varied data produced by archaeological research, we rely on specialists across diverse, allied fields. In this session, we aim to create a space to discuss both traditional and novel research methods in Mesoamerican archaeology and to foreground the bridges that connect them.
This session engages classic methods (e.g. ceramic and lithic analysis, zooarchaeology, paleoethnobotany, epigraphy, iconography, and ethnography) in synergy with newer techniques, including but not limited to remote sensing, GIS-based modelling, residue/lipid analysis, stable isotopes, proteomics, 3D modelling, ancient DNA, machine learning, and multisensory ethnography. Case studies integrating multiple lines of evidence to answer long-standing questions about subsistence, landscape modifications and monumentality, socio-political complexity, ritual practice, sustainability, and colonial entanglements across Mesoamerica are especially welcome.
As part of rigorous method-building, we highlight works that operationalize decolonizing and Indigenizing frameworks in concrete ways: community-informed research questions, co-developed sampling and curation strategies, Indigenous data sovereignty and consent, and co-production of knowledge. Of particular interest are studies showing how these commitments shape methodological choices and strengthen knowledge acquisition, interpretation, and dissemination.
This session aims to sustain a genuine dialogue between methods rather than parallel monologues. By centering collaborations among archaeologists, curators, data scientists, and Indigenous knowledge keepers, this session will highlight approaches that couple rigour with innovation and reflexivity to sharpen our interpretations of Mesoamerica’s past.
Presentations
- Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown - Athabasca University
- Dave Blaine - Athabasca University
- Isabelle Jensen - Athabasca University
- Shawn Morton - Northwestern Polytechnic
- Jillian Jordan - Independent Scholar
- Sonieda Teul - Georgetown Technical High School
- Aurora Saqui - Ich-Komonil Organization
During the 2022 and 2023 field seasons of the Stann Creek Regional Archaeology Project, excavation teams at the ALA-002C settlement mound of the Classic Period (ca. 650-900) Alabama Townsite in East-Central Belize uncovered 58 notched ceramic ovoids in the uppermost layers atop what is likely an ancillary domestic structure. Using traditional excavation methods combined with results from Bayesian statistical analyses of 14C dating, macro- and microscopic assessments, petrographic thin-section analysis, experimental ceramic studies, archaeological and ethnographic literature review, and consideration of local and traditional Mopan Maya fishing practices, we suggest that these items are all that remains of an ancient Maya fishing net used by temporary hunters and fishers who reoccupied portions of the townsite during the Postclassic. This study assembles colleagues from Canada, Belize, and the US, including a household archaeologist, material scientist, traditional ecological knowledge researcher, ceramic artist, photographer, illustrator, and young research assistant, who are working collaboratively to address long-standing questions about inland subsistence practices along the eastern frontier of the Maya World while also confronting the ongoing challenges of studying the tropical archaeological record.
- Kurtis Blaikie, Canadian Cultural Resources Association
Session Abstract
This panel discussion will bring together educators and CRM leaders to discuss the current challenges facing archaeology field training in Canada, share innovations and experiments, and identify paths forward.
The Canadian CRM sector is facing pressure from multiple directions including increasing demand, pressure for deregulation, and the need to increase indigenous participation in all aspects of the CRM process. These are all contributing to a CRM Capacity Crisis which is highlighting gaps in the readiness of post-secondary graduates for both field technician and project leadership roles in CRM, and structural employment issues in the CRM business model.
Simultaneously, academic institutions are facing funding, administrative and risk management pressures that are affecting their ability to offer field training and adapt to the needs of the industry. The traditional six-week excavation field school is becoming harder for universities to offer, and does not meet the CRM sector’s needs. The traditional bachelor’s degree is also a barrier to entry for many diverse, remote and indigenous youth into archaeology.
We invite educators and other leaders to submit proposals for participation in this panel discussion. Participation will include a short (5-10 minute) presentation of current efforts and challenges and contribution to a facilitated panel discussion on how we can prepare the next generation of archaeologists to better steward cultural heritage.
This session is organized by the Canadian Cultural Resources Association.
- Joshua Dent, PhD, TMHC Inc.
- Natasha Lyons, PhD, Ursus Heritage Consulting
Session Abstract
Although provincial and territorial regulation of archaeological practice varies across the country there is a consistent thread. Where and when these government laws, regulations, and policies fall short, other entities step up. This session explores the different facets of alternative archaeological oversight and service delivery. Examples may include: municipal planning and partnerships, Indigenous heritage stewardship, and service-oriented CRM. Across Canada, localized progressive solutions are bumping the needle towards better archaeological resource management outcomes. One of these outcomes includes early adoption of the principles of the United Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) even as most conventional governments drag their feet towards UNDRIP implementation. The objective of this session is to inspire similar unconventional activities capable of supplementing, transcending or subverting conventional archaeological regulation.
Presentations
- Kenneth Holyoke - University of Lethbridge
- Trevor Dow - Ecofor/University of New Brunswick
- Gabriel Hrynick - University of New Brunswick
Recent bibliometric research in New Brunswick suggests that following a peak in production in the mid-1980s, scholarly publication related to cultural resource management archaeology has declined. This is despite the increasing tempo and cost of both private sector and government-led CRM. Concurrently, many of the vehicles for public archaeology in the province, such as archaeological societies, have also floundered. As a result, rightsholders, stakeholders, and the public are confronted with an opaque respository of archaeological information. In this presentation, we report on two extra-governmental efforts to address this. The first, the New Brunswick Bibliography Project, seeks to inventory, and as a result render more useable, all of the published archaeological information about the province. The second, the New Brunswick Archaeology Podcast, provides accessible educational programming about the archaeology of the province. Absent robust government mandates for public archaeology, these initiatives help to increase transparency around archaeological research and indicate what sort of archaeological data may be available.
- Lisa Hodgetts, Western University
- Jessica Metcalfe, Lakehead University
- Natasha Lyons, Ursus Heritage Consulting
Session Abstract
Alongside the rise of collaborative community-based approaches in archaeology and cultural heritage in recent decades we have seen a call for “slow archaeology.” It is part of a broader “slow science” movement that counters the dominant “fast science” approach that is “competitive, data-centric, technocratic, and alienated from the societies it serves and studies” (Cunningham & MacEachern 2014:4). Slow archaeology prioritizes deep long-term engagements with research collaborators, participants and the material record, and reflexive, ethical practice. Drawing on grounded theory, it involves embracing process, listening and being responsive, taking an iterative approach that demands patience and sitting with uncertainty.
This session invites reflections on the benefits and challenges of slow archaeology’s longer timelines in community-based research. How does the slower pace and the focus on relationships influence the outcomes and impact of the work? How do we build and maintain long-term research relationships and how do they develop and change over time? What tensions exist between a slow, relational approach and existing structures in the academy, museums and CRM, and how might we alleviate them?
Join us and share your slow archaeology research journeys: lessons learned (sometimes the hard way), things (big and small) to celebrate along the way, and implications for broader archaeology and heritage research practice.
Presentations
- Natascha Beisswenger-Mooney - Department of Anthropology, Western University
- Rory Succee - Department of Anthropology, Western University
- Patricia G. Markert - Department of Anthropology, Western University
Grad student projects take place over short periods of time and might not be what one thinks about when they think of “slow” research. However, our masters' projects are an extension of nearly a decade's worth of community-based work in Medina County, Texas. In this paper, we reflect on our experiences of being stewards of out supervisors (Dr. Patricia G. Markert) community relationships, while also creating our own community connections through participating in community events, and interactions that extend beyond our research into our daily life. One of the projects focuses on German-Texan experiences during World War Two as well as the architecture of two settler homes in Quihi, Texas. This project is heavily community-based with oral history interviews and throughout the process of photogrammetry. The other focuses on how 19th century headstones at St. Dominic cemetery in D’hanis, Texas reflect identity and social, cultural and artistic trends of the time. During this fieldwork, community members participated in the collection of data and provided information. Additionally, we reflect on the ways that our experiences with the community not only shaped and influenced our research but also helped shape us as researchers.
- Jonathan Moore, Parks Canada
Session Abstract
On May 19, 1845, on the day of the departure of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror from England for a renewed search for a Northwest Passage, Captain Sir John Franklin wrote that “The Expedition excites the strongest interest in England among all parties and likewise on the Continent”. This statement is as true today as it was in 1845, even more so. Franklin could scarcely have imagined how that public interest transformed from hope for success, anxiety over the missing crews and ships, knowledge learned from Inuit about sunken ships and cannibalism, and ultimately the public craving for archaeological evidence for an expedition that had come undone by April 1848. Archaeological study of the expedition, both terrestrial and underwater, can be traced back to the early 1960s, and has steadily progressed, both through individual projects and bursts of activity. A renewed archaeological search for the wrecks of Erebus and Terror and terrestrial archaeological evidence launched in 2008, and the locating of the wrecks in 2014 and 2016 respectively, have resulted in significant archaeological advances over the last fifteen years. As a follow-up to papers presented at the CAA’s 2017 annual meeting, this session brings together a range of archaeologists, researchers, community members and museum professionals to give an overview of recent advances in the study of an expedition that has captured the public’s interest and imagination for 180 years.
Presentations
- Charles Dagneau - Parks Canada - Underwater Archaeology Team
The archaeological study and excavation of the HMS Erebus wreck site between 2014 and 2024 produced a significant collection of artifacts, most of which originated from well-defined and sealed archaeological contexts on the lower deck. This paper looks at the methodology used for the underwater excavation and on-site artifact management, including innovative approaches developed for this project in the Canadian Arctic. This presentation also addresses the potential for understanding and interpreting artifact assemblages from different functional spaces aboard Erebus, including the presumed Second and Third Lieutenant’s cabins, presumed Captain’s Steward’s pantry, and a seamen’s chest in the forecastle. Knowledge pertaining to these spaces, and the specific individuals they may relate to, may be valuable for answering some of the fundamental questions related to the 1845 Franklin Expedition
- Anne Marie Eriksen - National Museum of Denmark
- Oliver Müller - University of Bergen
- Nanna Rosenfeldt Lauridsen - National Museum of Denmark
- David Gregory - National Museum of Denmark
Recent archaeological work on the wreck of HMS Erebus has opened new avenues for understanding biological and environmental processes affecting wooden materials on Arctic shipwrecks. This paper presents a multidisciplinary study conducted in partnership with Parks Canada that integrates experimentally deployed pine blocks and archaeological wood from the wreck with molecular, physical, and imaging-based analyses to characterise wood degradation across the Erebus site.
As part of a controlled field experiment, modern pine blocks were deployed for one year providing a baseline for assessing decay through visual assessment of structural damage, microbial DNA profiling, weight-loss measurements, and X-ray imaging to detect internal damage, including potential shipworm activity. Complementary analyses target archaeological wood from Erebus, including structural timbers, interior fittings, and wooden artefacts preserved in contrasting microenvironments—buried in sediment or exposed in the water column.
The combined dataset enables comparison of degradation pathways across site microenvironments and assessment of how microbial communities, wood anatomy, and environmental variability shape preservation.
By integrating controlled in situ exposure with laboratory-based molecular and materials-science analyses, this project demonstrates the value of a multi-proxy approach for advancing understanding of wood decay and preservation on Erebus, contributing new perspectives to archaeological research on the Franklin expedition.
- Brandy Lockhart - Parks Canada
This paper discusses structural changes seen on the wreck of HMS Erebus between 2014 and 2024 as determined through the comparative analysis of digital data collected via photogrammetry and multi-beam echosounder. Comparative analysis was completed using Cloud Compare and Bentley Open Cities Map Ultimate software which allowed for overall change detection analysis of multiple point cloud models of the wreck from different years, as well as the comparison of thin sections of different models through multiple planes, providing quantitative data on variation between years. This analysis allowed for a better understanding of both overall and subtle changes in the site due to environmental factors and archaeological excavation.
- Keith Millar - University of Glasgow College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences
- Adrian Bowman - University of Glasgow School of Mathematics & Statistics
Health factors have long been suspected in the loss of the Franklin expedition but documentary evidence from the expedition is scant. A sole informative record described the expedition as “All Well” in May 1847, although ice-bound since September 1846. But by the time the ships were deserted in April 1848, unexplained mortality had occurred which disproportionately affected officers. Now, Inuit testimony and data from the crews’ remains and medical logs of other expeditions allow historical, forensic and statistical investigations of the cause and timeline of morbidity from departure in May 1845 to spring 1848. A current focus is nutritional deficiencies which gradually affected Naval provisions to cause scurvy and cardiomyopathy whose debilitating effects worsened when rations lacked sufficient calories to sustain hard physical exertion. Other Arctic expeditions could mitigate the risk by hunting fresh game, but the Franklin crews’ ice-bound isolation impeded hunting so that debility and mortality increased over winter 1847/48, and after deserting the ships. Other theories including lead poisoning, botulism and trichinosis are not supported by evidence including X-ray imaging of remains, statistical modelling and contemporary records. Nutritional deficiencies plausibly explain the loss of the Franklin expedition, but the disproportionate deaths of officers remain unexplained.
- Sarah Beam-Borg - Origin Studios Inc.
- Jennifer Ullulaq - Nattilik Heritage Centre
- Campbell Cameron - Four Peaks Consulting
Knowledge shared by Natchilik Inuit, past and present, from the Kitikmeot Region was essential to locating the wreck sites of HMS Erebus and Terror. Shortly thereafter, the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site of Canada Commemorative Integrity Statement was signed outlining the importance of co-management, monitoring, and partnership between Parks Canada and Inuit of the region.
This cooperation led to the expansion of the Nattilik Heritage Centre. Opened June 2025, it houses offices, multipurpose community spaces, a studio for oral histories, a makerspace, and storage for belongings and artifacts. Further, it was determined that selected artifacts excavated from the shipwrecks would be displayed in a purpose-built NHC exhibition where oral histories of local Inuit share how explorers affected traditional ways of life. "Unlocking the Ice” showcases artifacts from the shipwrecks alongside historic and contemporary Inuit belongings with a narrative that centers Natchilik knowledge.
Jennifer Ullulaq, Campbell Cameron, and Sarah Beam-Borg will outline how collaboration with NHC staff and engagement with local Community guided this project and harnessed the power of co-creation built on trust and passion. A dynamic hub for cultural heritage, the NHC serves as a powerful model for shared stewardship throughout the region.
- Alison Freebairn
- Logan Zachary
The 1845 Franklin Expedition carries the public perception of attracting obsessives, meticulously poring over every clue from the past. This paper argues that such activity has largely revolved around the reading and re-reading of secondary sources, while swaths of primary sources and physical evidence go neglected. Repeating the popular narrative of obsession – from television documentaries to academic commentary – has attracted more attention than the underlying evidence itself, leaving outright basic work undone even today. The original focus of trying to rescue survivors, and the continuing focus of trying to explain their demise, further sidelines any material appearing irrelevant to those pursuits. Examples are presented, detailing fundamental observations on Franklin Expedition relics that might have been made in the 19th century, but that went unremarked until the 21st century. As Canada and Nunavut have renewed archaeological fieldwork on the Franklin Expedition, fresh reassessments are warranted for any and all evidence collected from before the archaeologists arrived.
- Jonathan Moore - Parks Canada
Between 2014 and 2024 Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team and its partners completed ten underwater archaeological field projects at the wreck of HMS Erebus. Collectively this comprised both open-water and through-ice operations, almost 700 dives, detailed 3D site recording, excavation, material culture research and site environment studies among other efforts. This paper will give a summary of the fieldwork and research completed on this iconic wreck and the progression of logistics, methods and multi-disciplinary work over ten years of study. It will also discuss the main research questions that guided the project and summarize what was learned through this archaeological investigation. Further, it will set-up other papers within this session, point to technical innovations, and outline our longstanding collaboration with Inuit partners.
- Robert Park - University of Waterloo
On April 25, 1848, at a bleak spot on the northwest coast of King William Island, Captain Francis Crozier penned just eight words outlining his plan for the 105 sailors he commanded who, three days before, had deserted their ships: “start on tomorrow 26th for Backs Fish River”. Almost everything known about what the 105 actually did immediately before and after he wrote those words comes from archaeological evidence: material remains deposited or created by those sailors, including their own bodies, complemented only by some vital Inuit observations deriving from brief encounters with some of the survivors on the south coast of the island. Over the past 17 decades archaeological evidence has slowly been documented by many Inuit, by a long series of Euro-American searchers who travelled to this region, and by a very few professional archaeologists. Over those decades a much larger body of interpretations and hypotheses has also accumulated, at a pace far faster than the accumulation of actual archaeological evidence. This paper will seek to review on a broad scale some of the interpretations and hypotheses that have been proposed in light of what that accumulated archaeological evidence shows, and especially what it does not show.
- John Ratcliffe - Underwater Archaeology Team, Parks Canada
The focus of the 1845 Franklin expedition is often remembered as primarily geographic, to complete the last link in a Northwest Passage, but the Admiralty’s instructions to Franklin emphasized the importance of the expedition’s scientific mandate and noted that “We have caused a great variety of valuable instruments to be put on board the ships.” This scientific focus is reflected in the archaeology and material culture of Erebus and Terror, where artifacts related to terrestrial magnetism, natural history, meteorology, navigation and cartography, and photography have been observed and recovered since the wrecks were located in 2014 and 2016. Many of these “valuable instruments” defy easy identification as they are incomplete or found in secondary contexts, a challenge compounded by the sheer number and diversity of instruments known or presumed to have been carried aboard the vessels. Archaeological and historical research has resulted in the identification of several previously unidentified objects, however, illustrating the expedition’s wide scope of scientific inquiry, and hinting at further stories which remain obscure.
- Kurtis Blaikie, Canadian Cultural Resources Association
Session Abstract
Many of us came into the CRM sector unprepared for the realities of the business world. Resumes, interviews, professional communication, collaboration, supervision, technical writing, time management, project management, budgeting, accounting, scheduling, hiring, personnel management, negotiation and leadership aren’t commonly seen on our class syllabi. We learn these, and then teach them, on the job.
This session is targeted at students and junior professionals embarking on a career in CRM. It will provide practical learnings on professional and business topics, and how they apply to archaeology. It will include several invited presentations and is also open to volunteered papers from professionals who want to share their experience with the next generation.
This session is organized by the Canadian Cultural Resources Association as part of the CRM Expo.