In the last century, whaling has quickly become one of the most controversial subsistence practices across the globe. At the frontlines of this dispute are various Indigenous whaling communities that continue to practice traditional whaling and anti-whaling advocates. While both sides make passionate cases for their cause, the unfortunate truth is that the sheer influence and power large anti-whaling campaigns wield often drown out the voices of Indigenous whaling societies who continue to rely on whales for sustenance and cultural identity. Not only are the motivations behind traditional whaling often neglected by anti-whaling campaigns, facts about their environmental and socio-economic impact are also skewed to serve their conservation interests. To confront this imbalance and the general colonial undertones of anti-whaling campaigns, we present this website that provides straight-forward facts about whales, whaling and the significance of traditional whaling for two case studies (Japan and Faroe Islands). With all the information at their disposal, the general public is encouraged to consider traditional whaling and whale conservation not as opposing efforts but, rather, as efforts that would benefit from alliance. 

Marine bivalves from archaeological sites can reveal critical information about past environments and human impacts on shellfish populations, specifically harvesting strategies. Identifying the age and season of shellfish collection demonstrates how often shellfish were harvested and when a site was being occupied. Previous research on Mya arenaria from archaeological shell midden deposits demonstrated the potential of this species for seasonality studies. However, variation in individual and population growth rates, coupled with issues of preservation makes this species difficult to analyze. Thin-section analysis of seasonal growth bands is unreliable, however, reliable age estimates can be made. The variation in growth rates and variability between populations makes interpreting seasonality from shell growth unreliable. This research presents an alternative way to assess the age-at-death from M. arenaria and proposes that counting annual growth rings is a reliable way to interpret the long-term history of shellfish harvesting in Nova Scotia.  

The site of Riparo Bombrini (Liguria, Italy) offers a unique setting to compare the spatial organization of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens occupations in a single archaeological site. The disappearance of the Neanderthals is one of the greatest debates in prehistory since the period of their decline corresponds to the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe. It is thus often assumed that fundamental differences distinguish the two populations, and the ability to structure space within the sites they occupied into distinct activity areas is often invoked as a key distinctive trait of our species. However, this behavior has never been assessed for both groups at a single site, making direct comparisons impossible so far. This project thus aims to objectively evaluate the degree of spatial organization in the earliest Protoaurignacian levels (A1-A2, associated with Homo sapiens) as well as the latest Mousterian levels (MS1-MS2, associated with Neanderthals) at Riparo Bombrini. Combining GIS and quantitative methods allow the study of the spatial distribution of artefacts and features in these levels, showing that Neanderthals indeed organized their living spaces like Homo sapiens. This contributes new data to the ongoing debates over ‘behavioral modernity,’ suggesting it is not limited to our species alone.

Feminist theory has been incredibly productive in its goal of bringing female voices to the forefront of archaeology, both of our subjects and of researchers themselves. Feminist archaeology has pursued the equalization of our field, pushing for non-gendered consideration for grants and equal opportunity to pursue research projects, as well as investigation into the roles and lives of women in the past. However, feminist theories have continued to perpetuate a western gender binary in practice and among its researchers. Nonbinary voices are still existing at the margins, if existing at all. In this paper, I aim to critique feminist and queer theories from a non-binary lens. Does feminist archaeology provide a platform for the understanding of nonbinary genders, third genders, even two-spirit genders? If not, how and where does it fail, and how can we improve our theories to encompass nonbinary experiences and perspectives?

Most of the archaeological work that takes place in the province of Ontario is in the form of CRM. This “professional” archaeology follows the standards and guidelines provided by Ontario heritage legislation, which has long been criticized and critiqued by Indigenous communities due to its meager engagement and consultation requirements and lack of enforcement of minimum standards of practice. This legislation also has major effects on access to and ownership of heritage material as anything found during a project is entrusted to the archaeologist on behalf of the people of Ontario. This results in Indigenous heritage materials stored in boxes and bags in garages, basements, and storage lockers of Euro-Canadian archaeologists, completely unbeknownst to descendant relations. In this paper I will examine how the Ontario heritage legislation has created a system where archaeological material is continually excavated in the name of urban expansion, but final excavation reports and artifacts are virtually inaccessible leading to the extraction and hoarding of Indigenous heritage material that may be more appropriately referred to as “Professional Looting”.

The 2017 discovery of an Early Mesolithic (10 000 – 9000 cal BP) newborn buried in Arma Veirana (Erli, Italy) is remarkable for its rarity and for the richness and diversity of its grave goods. Those are composed of 93 perforated Columbella rustica and 4 perforated Glycymeris sp. Studying these ornaments and how they were made is important because they reflect social norms about ornamentation among hunter-gatherers in Liguria at the dawn of the Holocene. The main purpose of the research presented in this paper is to study experimentally how these beads were manufactured, worn and integrated into ornaments. Experimental archaeology is an ideal approach for this work since it informs us about the whole array of possible physical constraints and techniques involved in the creation of shell ornaments, as well as allowing us to explore how physical movement affected the use-wear these beads accrued, opening interesting avenues of reflection about how links between the living and the dead were embodied in the Early Mesolithic. The results of this study thus can have implications for our understanding of the emergence of innovative behaviors, in particular early expressions of social hierarchy manifested by the development and transmission of hereditary social status.