Recent developments in Canadian environmental archaeology

Session Hosting Format:

in-person session

Organizer(s):

Solène Mallet Gauthier, University of Alberta

Contact Email:

Session Description (300 word max):

Environmental archaeology, or the study of human-environment interactions, is a core component of many archaeological projects across Canada. Methods, such as zooarchaeology, palaeoethnobotany, archaeoentomology, or geoarchaeology, provide valuable insights into past human lives and cultural practices. The results of those analyses are however often relegated to report appendices or footnotes. With the objective to highlight recent environmental archaeology projects and their contributions to Canadian archaeology, we invite contributions from archaeologists working all across the country. Papers may be methodology-focused, discuss final results, or even preliminary data. We welcome explorations of a range of topics, such as agriculture, foodways, hygiene, and landscape change, from the pre-colonial period to the very recent past.

Presentations

An Isotopic Approach to Understanding the Role of Whales in Early Inuit Dogs' Diets

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Katie Lewis - Western University
Lisa Hodgetts - Western University
Andrea Waters-Rist - Western Univerity
Fred Longstaffe - Western University

This study explores the role of whales and other key prey species in the diet of Early Inuit dogs (also known as Thule Inuit, or pre-contact Inuit; ca. 1200 AD–European contact) through isotopic analysis of their remains from coastal archaeological sites in the Northwest Territories. Bowhead whales are widely recognized as central to Early Inuit subsistence and migration patterns. In some regions, like the Mackenzie Delta, beluga whales also played a significant role. However, traditional zooarchaeological analysis quantifying the relative abundance of taxa in archaeological deposits may not accurately reflect the dietary contribution of whales. This is because whale meat and blubber are typically transported away from primary butchering sites, leaving the bones behind. Inuit dogs were directly provisioned by their caregivers, allowing their dietary reconstructions to broadly reflect Inuit subsistence practices and resource availability. By applying carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, this research examines the trophic and marine signatures of whales, marked by distinct δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values, to provide new insights into resource use and subsistence strategies in Early Inuit communities. These findings contribute to our understanding of whale exploitation and broader regional variations in diet throughout Inuit history.

Ancient DNA analysis of grouse (Tetraonidae) remains enhances paleoenvironmental reconstruction at Tse’k’wa (HbRf-39), British Columbia

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Luke S. Jackman - Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Thomas C.A. Royle - Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Dongya Y. Yang - Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Jonathan C. Driver - Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of faunal remains allows for the species-level identification of specimens with inadequate morphological characteristics. Grouse (Tetraonidae) are a good example of the potential of aDNA because it is difficult to separate species on the basis of bone morphology, while a precise identification can yield paleoenvironmental information. Generally, grouse species occupy either a forest habitat (e.g., Dusky Grouse [Dendragapus obscurus]) or a grassland habitat (e.g., Greater Sage-grouse [Centrocercus urophasianus]). Tse’k’wa (formerly Charlie Lake Cave; HbRf-39) in northeast British Columbia is ideal for environmental reconstruction using aDNA analysis due to its faunal assemblages exhibiting excellent DNA preservation and high taxonomic diversity. In this study, a sample of 16 grouse specimens dating between approximately 12,500 and 900 BP cal BP were identified through aDNA analysis. Through the analysis of a 131 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial Cytochrome oxidase I gene, one species (Ruffed Grouse [Bonasa umbellus]) and one species complex (Tympanuchus) that had not been previously identified in the assemblage were detected. Based on modern ecological preferences of the identified taxa, the data suggest forest developed in the region after ~10,250 cal BP, mirroring patterns observed in previous zooarchaeological analyses.

Cedar, Seeds, and the sinkwu: Investigating shíshálh Plant Use

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Christie Fender - University of Saskatchewan
Glenn Stuart - University of Saskatchewan

In 2021, the shíshálh Nation and the University of Saskatchewan embarked on a collaborative research initiative aimed at documenting long-term adaptive resource management strategies of the shíshálh people amid fluctuating environmental conditions and disruption by colonial policies. We present preliminary findings of macrobotanical analyses of sediment samples collected from various shíshálh archaeological sites along the sinkwu (the Strait of Georgia within shíshálh territory). These results are further elucidated upon through comparison to plant use accounts and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) contained within the archives of the shíshálh people, to which access was so kindly granted.

From wood to fire, anthracological view of a late Woodland St. Lawrence Iroquoian village – strategic entanglement with the forested landscape around the Isings site (BgFo-24) in Montérégie, QC

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Xavier Dagenais-Chabot - Université de Montréal

As part of my anthropological master’s thesis aimed at shedding light on the relationship between forests, their woody resources, and the Indigenous communities of southern Quebec before the arrival of Europeans, I focus on exploring the daily life processes within a St. Lawrence Iroquoian horticultural village. My study is based on the analysis of charred wood remains discovered at the Isings site (BgFo-24) in Montérégie.

For the 57th Annual Meeting of the CAA, my presentation will focus on the results, particularly anthracological spectra (block diagrams and graphs) derived from my research. These spectra have been developed by considering three crucial spatial and statistical scales in the field: the context of soil samples (including occupation surfaces and archaeological structures such as hearths and pits), the sectors (activity areas and longhouses), and finally, the entire site.

The presentation will follow four themes: (1) the choice of fuel, (2) the specific management of pyrotechnic waste, (3) the question of seasonality, and (4) the representativity and contamination of the anthracological record, in an attempt to reconstruct the role of wood and charcoal within the material assemblage of the site and highlight the importance of past human (co)interactions with the forested landscape.

sEARCHing the sinku – A Tale of Thormanby Island told Through Zooarchaeology

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Kathleen Willie - University of Saskatchewan
Tina Greenfield - University of Winnipeg

The shíshálh Nation and the University of Saskatchewan began collaborating on a research project in 2021 entitled the sinku Environmental ARCHaeology (sEARCH) as an extension of the shíshálh Archaeology Research Project (sARP). sEARCH aims to examine and document the long-term adaptive resource management strategies used by the shíshálh Nation for generations across the sinku, the part of the Straight of Georgia within the shíshálh Nation’s traditional territories. This paper investigates the faunal assemblages from different sites on Thormanby Island, located just off the mainland coast of British Columbia, and how they link to the greater scope of the sEARCH project. These shíshálh sites shed light onto how the land and its resources were utilized by ancestral members of the nation. Faunal remains are combined with oral histories in an attempt to gain holistic understanding of these sites and the ways in which they were occupied.

Suture obliteration patterns in wolves and a comparison to dogs

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Megan Bieraugle - University of Alberta

Age-related patterns in cranial suture and synchondrosis obliteration in 371 known-age North American grey wolves (Canis lupus) are examined to assess their utility in estimating the age of archaeological and paleontological wolf crania. Differences in age-related obliteration patterns between these wolves and 576 known-age domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) also are explored. Domestication has likely altered the growth and development of dog crania in relation to that of wolves, but these processes remain poorly understood. Wolf total suture obliteration score and age were positively correlated, indicating that the level of suture obliteration can be used to track age to some extent. Wolf sex/dietary patterns had no meaningful effects on this correlation. Mesocephalic or dolichocephalic dogs generally begin exhibiting more extensive suture obliteration than wolves during early adulthood, at about 2-4 years of age. This pattern of more extensive obliteration persists throughout the lifespan, with dogs tending to experience more obliteration in the observed sutures and synchondroses. Several interrelated factors may contribute to this pattern, all outcomes of domestication, including differences in physical strains in the cranium, alteration of development and ageing, and the emergence of diverse head shapes that relate in part to suture closure timing.