Many coastal areas are subject to climate change impacts such as increased frequency and intensity of storms, rising water levels, and warming conditions (loss of sea ice dampening effect, softer banks during winter months). Coastal lands are also affected by efforts to mitigate climate change impacts such as the installation of hard barriers that deflect energy or starve downstream sediment flow.

Archaeological sites are often positioned near waterways, as these were the highways of yesteryear, and many communities and organizations are trying to figure out what to do about threatened cultural sites in the coastal zone while there is still time – while there is still a chance to rescue or preserve elements of their heritage.

As archaeologists, we work with large organizations and community groups alike. We are in the field facing the problems, seeing the damage, the distressed communities, and the urgency of the situation. We are also at the boardroom meetings discussing costs, relative values, risk analyses, and business priorities. We conduct impact assessments and offer mitigation solutions, monitor shoreline changes, map and document impacts and loss, record and collect dislodged artifacts, and help communities deal with impacts as they occur. Archaeologists are heavily involved in this problem yet we are not well versed in solutions.

How can we better equip ourselves to respond to these situations? – by being informed and aware of the options available, being aware of what works and doesn’t work in given areas, and by sharing this knowledge with others.

This session will include papers that address three themes:

1. Acquiring knowledge and finding direction (informed decision-making) – research, triage, prioritization, policy guidance, communication.
2. Action – real-world experiences, the nuts & bolts of how to carry out protective measures, understanding site-specific variables
3. Lessons learned, guidance, knowledge sharing.

While central to the human experience, feelings and emotions have been historically overlooked in archaeology due to their ephemeral nature and a disciplinary emphasis on rationality. Nevertheless, the presence of emotion in the past is undeniable, as is the emotional impact of archaeology in the present. Archaeologies of the Heart (Supernant et al. 2020) and The Enchantment of the Archaeological Record (Perry 2019) embrace this emotion and, in doing so, conceptualize an archaeology that is grounded in care, wonder, and feeling. Inspired by this vision, this session seeks to discuss the role of emotions in archaeology and explore how an emotional archaeology can be fostered.

As the emotional resonance of archaeology can be felt at every level of engagement with the past, submissions regarding all aspects of affect and archaeology are welcome. This includes presentations discussing specific attempts to identify emotions in the past or efforts to address the emotions experienced by descendant communities, students, the wider public, and ourselves as practitioners in the present. Broader theoretical discussions, such as those regarding our duty of care, ethical implications or future work are also encouraged.

Citations:
Perry, Sara. "The enchantment of the archaeological record." European Journal of Archaeology 22, no. 3. 2019: 354-371.

Supernant, Kisha, Jane Eva Baxter, Natasha Lyons, and Sonya Atalay, eds. Archaeologies of the Heart. New York: Springer International Publishing, 2020.

Indigenous data sovereignty, the right to steward and control data created with them or about them, is an important aspect of Indigenous Peoples’ inherent right to self-determination. Across the land we now call Canada, Indigenous belongings have been and continue to be removed from Indigenous cultural sites by archaeologists. With few exceptions, archaeological survey and excavation, the rights of stewardship and control of the extracted objects, and all associated information, are governed by legislation that asserts colonial government (provincial/territorial or federal) control over them. While discussions about repatriating/rematriating Ancestors’ remains and cultural belongings to Indigenous communities have been ongoing for decades, we are just beginning to seriously consider the important role of data governance – the strategies, policies and laws dealing with data collection, management, preservation, curation, accessibility and ownership – in those conversations. This session invites diverse contributions exploring the movement towards Indigenous data sovereignty in the cultural heritage realm. What are the implications for heritage management within Indigenous organizations/governments, settler governments and the commercial sector? How does upholding Indigenous data sovereignty reorient archaeological, cultural heritage and digital heritage research? What does it mean for digital data management? We welcome submissions of case studies and broader reflections that engage with these questions and other related themes.

At more than any point in the history of Canadian archaeology, Indigenous academics, knowledge keepers, artists, Elders, and youth are now participating and leading archaeological research and cultural resource management projects. At the same time, as individuals and institutions work towards reconciliation and decolonization, more archaeologists recognize the opportunities that archaeology can provide to foster land-based learning, to reconnect Indigenous communities to their lands and ancestors, and to support the well-being of Indigenous peoples (see Schaepe et al. 2017; 2021).

And yet, accompanying this progress in archaeology is an increasing awareness that archaeological field sites, labs, and classrooms have not always been safe places for Indigenous peoples. Many Indigenous faculty members, students, and CRM personnel balance cultural stress, intergenerational trauma, and structural racism with the physical and mental toll that the demands of archaeology exact. Moreover, our Indigenous and non-Indigenous colleagues have documented the harassment and violence that many women, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, gender non-conforming individuals, and racialized peoples risk while working or volunteering in archaeology (see Hodgetts et al. 2020; Voss 2021 a, b). And Indigenous peoples risk secondary trauma when working on projects where cultural protocols are violated or ignored. 

We propose a session that would begin with a panel of Indigenous archaeologists and other Indigenous peoples with experience in archaeology who would share their experiences—both positive and negative—working in this field. These presentations would be followed by a talking circle facilitated by Kisha Supernant during which conference attendees will ask questions of the panelists and share their own experiences. Our hope is that the talking circle will result in recommendations to archaeologists—especially project directors and principal investigators—for how to enact trauma-informed approaches to field- and lab-work, teaching, mentoring, and community collaborations.

Arctic and Subarctic archaeology have transformed from early 20th century colonial perceptions of the North as an untouched "frontier". Salvage excavations are being conducted on sites at risk of destruction due to climate change. Collaboration with local and descendant communities is increasing. Integration of archaeological science techniques (e.g., ancient DNA, stable isotope analysis, zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) is allowing new questions about human-environment interactions to be explored. Archaeology is a powerful tool for addressing issues such as climate change, loss of biological diversity, and food sovereignty in Arctic and Subarctic environments. This session highlights current work in Arctic and Subarctic archaeology, and considers future directions for research. 

Over the last four decades, David Black has advanced the archaeological understanding of the Maritime Peninsula through fieldwork, research, and writing, mostly focused around the Quoddy Region. At the same time, he was a prodigious teacher, supervisor and mentor to generations of northeastern archaeologists. In this session, we celebrate David’s accomplishments on the occasion of his recent retirement with a series of research papers from his colleagues, students, and friends. We particularly invite papers with a regional focus on the Maritime Peninsula, a topical emphasis on coastal archaeology, or that engage with other of David’s interests, such as collaboration with avocational archaeologists, geoarchaeology, and zooarchaeology. 

As we begin to reimagine the role of archaeology in the contemporary world, students and early-career professionals must evaluate the relationship between their research and the broader society with which it articulates. To follow the conference theme of “Gathering Perspectives,” this session is aimed primarily at students and early-career researchers who are interested in gaining more presentation experience and who wish to share their voice with the archaeological community.  Presentations for this session can involve a research project that has preliminary findings, the results of an honour’s thesis or independent project, a research proposal, a story from the field, a short history of your favourite object, a book review, or a tasty field recipe- the only catch is your presentation must be given in 5 minutes!

The presentations will be given synchronously using an online format to accommodate those who are not able to attend the conference in person for personal or public health reasons. Please submit an abstract using the Abstract Submission Form on the CAA website to secure a slot in the session. Abstracts should provide a general description of your topic and should be no more than 250 words. Presentations of similar topics will be grouped together. Visual components for presentations from accepted presenters will be limited to only 1-3 slides and will be requested prior to the presentation date to allow for compilation and smooth transition between presentations. A synchronous question-and-answer period will be offered at the end of the session. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to caa.students@gmail.com. We look forward to your submission and hearing your valuable perspectives and insights!

This session will explore the use of innovative technology in archaeology and its implications for archaeological practice. Archaeologists now regularly use technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Side-Scan Sonar, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), 3D scanning and reconstructions of landscapes and artifacts, and technical software such as on-the-ground data capture applications and GIS. Increasingly, archaeologists are also exploring cutting-edge technologies such as Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, mechanical testing, and handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) to better collect and understand field data. Although technological innovations can increase the quality of archaeological data and breadth of what can be understood about the archaeological record, there are many unanswered questions about how to integrate and curate new kinds of data, whether stakeholders such as communities and the public are served better by the use of these technologies or are further left out of the process, and what kinds of standards and guidelines should be developed to regulate these new technologies. We invite papers that assess the impact of innovative technology and software on the practice of archeology and cultural heritage, including 1) their roles in creating meaningful collaborations between Indigenous communities and archaeologists; 2) concerns and considerations about data collection and storage that cannot be curated in traditional ways; 3) recommendations for how archaeological practice could be improved by widespread use of particular technologies; or 4) case studies in archaeology conducted with innovative technology. In addition, has technology/software helped to create collaborative relationships between archaeologists and stakeholders? Is technology accessible and used to its full extent in the discipline? Has technology/software affected the social and political goals of archaeology? By discussing the intersection between technology, archaeology, and stakeholder/rightsholders, this session will highlight some of the challenges faced by introducing new methods and applications in the industry.

Last year in a call to action for provincial heritage funding, Manitoba was referred to as a “Black Hole of Archaeology” in reference to challenges with engagement, practice, and research in the province. While intended as a polemic, this description of the state of archaeology in Manitoba finds some resonance among students, archaeologists, communities, and the public within the province and especially considering the better described and engaged archaeological archives seen with our provincial neighbours to the east and west. The aim of this session is to highlight new and ongoing research and archaeological and curatorial practices that are being undertaken in the province. Themes within this session will encompass transforming curatorial practices, incorporating geochemical, geochronological, and proteomic approaches, extending community-based archaeological practices, furthering the resolution of the province’s archaeological archives, and developing novel, accessible, and engaging strategies for public engagement. In this respect, the goal of this session is to create a space for people with a passion for Manitoba’s heritage, including archaeologists, members of descendent communities students, researchers, and CRM practioners, to discuss Manitoba archaeology within the broader Canadian and North American contexts and with our CAA colleagues.