Poster session

Date/Time: 
Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 2:10pm to 2:50pm
(ADT)
Room: 
Poster Room (Gather.Town)
Presentations
Food for Thought: Insights into Late Ceramic period (ca. 950 – 450 BP) Canine Diets in Machias Bay, Maine
Presentation format:
Author(s):
  • Abby Mann - University of Maine
  • Eric Guiry - School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester and Department of Anthropology, Trent University

The Canine Surrogacy Approach (CSA) has been used by researchers to infer dietary trends of past peoples through an analysis of δ13C and δ15N stable isotope values derived from archaeological dog remains. Stable isotope analyses (SIA) of dogs in the Maine-Maritime Peninsula region has thus far focused on remains dating to the Late Archaic period (ca. 5000-3050 BP) and have largely indicated a marine-oriented diet for dogs and human communities; however, few studies have analyzed dog remains from the Ceramic period and none from the Late Ceramic period (ca. 950-450 BP) for subsistence trends. This historical period is marked by extreme social change for northeastern North America, when Europeans and Indigenous people began to interact and trade. Here, CSA is applied to a case study of Late Ceramic period C. familiaris remains at an archaeological site in Machias Bay, Maine to better understand canine diet in this understudied time period. Results of SIA, combined with 14C dates, indicate a shift away from consumption of marine resources among dogs ca. 650-450 BP and towards more terrestrial foods. This case study offers a new approach for understanding subsistence changes in the region during the Late Ceramic period.

From home to the Brandon Indian Residential School: Addressing the colonial legacy of displaced Indigenous children through GIS and archives (1936-1952)
Presentation format:
Author(s):
  • Kim Figura - British Columbia Institute of Technology + Simon Fraser University
  • Katherine Nichols - Simon Fraser University
  • Laure  Spake - University of Otago
  • Dayle  Blackbird - Brandon University + Simon Fraser University
  • Darian  Kennedy - Community Liaison for the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation + Simon Fraser University
  • Emily Holland - Brandon University
  • Deanna  Reder - Simon Fraser University
  • John  Albanese - University of Windsor
  • Dongya  Yang - Simon Fraser University
  • Hugo  Cardoso - Simon Fraser University
  • Eldon  Yellowhorn - Simon Fraser University

The Brandon Indian Residential School (Brandon IRS) was active in southwestern Manitoba between 1895-1972. This study draws on a snapshot of publicly available archives (1936-1952) showing student recruitment from 54 communities across Alberta (1), Saskatchewan (21), Manitoba (25), Ontario (5), Quebec (1), and Nunavut (1). The goals of this study are to bring a tangible human dimension to our common understanding of IRS experiences while also recovering deeper knowledge of the school’s legacy of missing children. GIS models were produced to highlight the spatial magnitude of the possible routes travelled by children from each community. We hope to enrich the sharing and honouring of these lived experiences by highlighting the individual journeys of three children. These lines of exploration are part of the Brandon IRS Cemeteries Project, an investigation into school graves and burial grounds spearheaded by the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. As GIS and other digital mapping tools are rooted in western epistemologies, researchers must remain critical about the ways these are used to communicate Indigenous narratives and events. We are actively learning, adapting, and growing to shape the project and our individual involvement in a respectful and meaningful way. 

Histological insights into growth stages of adult bison bones
Presentation format:
Author(s):
  • Madison Mancusa - Lakehead University
  • Jessica Metcalfe - Lakehead University

In this study we explore the use of histology to identify relative sequences of bone tissue growth and to categorize adult bison bones into relative age groups. Archaeological bison bones from Idaho (10OA275) and Utah (42BO1, 42BO107, 42BO109) were transversely thin sectioned and viewed under transmitted and cross-polarized light between 2.5 and 1000x magnification. According to previous studies of large mammal bone development, fibrolamellar (FL, aka plexiform) bone is laid when the animal is immature and growth is rapid. Parallel-fibered (PF) and circumferential lamellar (CL) bone develop when the animal nears its maximum size and growth is slower. After formation, each bone type may be remodelled by secondary osteons (SO, aka Haversian systems), which increase in density as the animal ages. Based on tissue types and SO densities, we grouped our bison bones into early, intermediate, or late-developing adult categories. This approach to age categorization can be used on fragmentary bones and has the potential to provide finer detail on the age structure of archaeological bison bone assemblages than is possible based on epiphyseal fusion. Furthermore, identifying earlier and later developing tissues facilitates microsampling individual bones for geochemical analyses of temporal changes in bison diet and mobility

Mountains and Moche Bodies: An Iconographic Analysis of Ceramic Vessels from the Museo Larco in Lima, Peru
Presentation format:
Author(s):
  • Maryssa Barras - University of Toronto

This poster summarizes part of my research undertaken for my Master’s degree over the course of two years.

The Moche (AD 300-800) were a coastal people from the north coast of Peru, famed for their impressive huaca plaza constructions and enormous body of fine ceramics, among other things. Moche ceramics have, in particular, been the subject of intense scrutiny by archaeologists and art historians over the past fifty years – shedding light into their cosmological and religious beliefs in addition to their worldviews. Using the digital scholar’s portal from the Museo Larco in Lima, Peru, this poster contributes to the already large body of work on Moche iconography examining a sample of 17 ceramic vessels divided into thematic categories related to representations of human bodies, body parts, and mountains. While this sample is small, the 17 vessels assessed were chosen as representative pieces for larger thematic categories, which future research using additional collections will expand upon. Ultimately, using a comparative analysis this poster argues that human figures and mountains were, circumstantially, interchangeable, or equivalent, blurring divisions between human and other than human wak’a bodies.

Ndakina 2020, Archaeology
Presentation format:
Author(s):
  • Geneviève Treyvaud - Bureau du Ndakina, Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki, INRS-ETE
  • Louis-Vincent Laperrière-Désorcy - Bureau du Ndakina, Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki, Toronto University

The Ndakina Office helps represent the Abenaki Councils of Odanak and W8linak regarding affirmation and consultation, land claims, as well as environmental questions and adaptation to climate change. Archaeological research plays an important role to the acquirement of knowledge for the sustainable and responsible management of the W8banakiak ancestral territory. Erosion project consists of a risk assessment study focused on erosion problems identified on the banks of Alsig8tegw (St. Francis River) and W8linaktegw (Becancour River). It was possible to assess the expansion of erosion phenomena on known archaeological sites, as well as evaluate the impact of erosion on potential areas identified along the rivers. Lachapelle Site is an ancestral burial site located near the community of Odanak. The repatriation of its archaeological collection by the Ndakina Office allowed us to analyze the artifacts to understand past occupations at the site. A zooarchaeological study revealed new interpretations regarding cultural links between ancestral burial practices and carnivore fauna. Introspect: 3D acquisition and characterization techniques have been used to study wampums and pottery sherds. This work is carried out as a multidisciplinary project aimed at assessing the interior of archaeological objects without destroying them, help determine their materials, manufacturing processes, uses and origins.