Pjila'si Welcome Bienvenue CAA/ACA 2023 Membertou, NS/NE 3–6 May/mai

La 55e réunion annuelle de l'Association canadienne d'archéologie

Sessions 2023

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Laureen Bryant, City of Calgary
  • Nicole Nicholls, City of Kamloops

Résumé de session

In some parts of Canada archaeological legislative requirements sit with provincial governments, some are at the municipal level, and others include distinct participation of local First Nations.  Some municipalities have predictive models to help them manage archaeological resources, while others have been exempted from having to undertake archaeological work.  There is a range of regulations and polices that speak to these heritage sites across the land, and as a result there have been many interesting projects that have revealed the hidden histories within these urban settings.  Consultants undertake extensive projects on behalf of, in collaboration with municipalities, or within a municipal boundary in general. 

However, as many people walk through urban areas, they are unaware of the potential history beneath their feet.  To understand and support heritage conservation people need to know about it.  A small number of municipalities in Canada have hired in-house Archaeologists recognizing the need for policy and process development, site protection on city owned lands, and overall citizen education. But often, building public awareness still falls to consultants and advocational societies.

The goal of this session is to invite all who work or conduct research within urban settings to share papers about their interesting projects, innovations in process, public awareness building, the opportunities they see in urban archaeology and any challenges they may have faced working in urban settings.  

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Rebecca Dunham, Senior Archaeologist, Atlantic Region, IACH, Parks Canada
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

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.

Presentations

Unpacking Climate Change at a Remote Coastal Site: Working Together to Develop Strategies in an Environment of Rapid Transformation
Author(s):
  • Catherine Cottreau-Robins - Nova Scotia Museum

For many decades archaeologists have been recording the impacts of storm events, coastal erosion, flooding and sea level rise to archaeological sites in Nova Scotia. In fact, recent studies have determined that for some parts of the province, over 80 percent of the archaeological sites recorded in the 1970s and 1980s are under severe threat or their physical integrity collapsed and dispersed (COASTAL 2021). With the reality of cumulative climate threats in mind, long-term research at a volatile, multi-component coastal site in southwest Nova Scotia has stimulated a community-driven interest in climate threats to heritage resources and the development of opportunities for participation in protection and knowledge-building. Equal to the reality of increased climate concerns, is the requirement for community and stakeholder input and direction when it comes to conserving sites and their cultural stories and belongings.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Rebecca Dunham, IACH, Parks Canada Agency
  • Keith Mercer, Nova Scotia Mainland Field Unit, Parks Canada
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

Parks Canada and the Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiation Office (KMKNO) work collaboratively to co-manage, protect, and respect Mi'kmaq cultural heritage at Kejimkujik National Historic Site/National Park and Kejimkujik Seaside Adjunct National Park in the Mi’kmaw district of Kespukwitk (Southwest Nova Scotia).

Kejimkujik and the broader cultural landscape have profound ecological and cultural significance to the Mi’kmaq. For thousands of years, these lands and waters have been, and continue to be, the homeland of the Mi’kmaw and archaeological resources found throughout the region bear evidence of Mi’kmaq heritage.

The development of a collaborative archaeology technical team at Kejimkujik has transformed archaeological practices at the park and has been recognized by both Parks Canada and KMKNO as an effective co-management process. Following a two-eyed seeing (Etuaptmumk) approach, where both Western and Indigenous ways of knowing are woven together, we strive to better appreciate the interrelatedness between cultural resources and environment, the oneness of the relationship between an artifact and where it lay, and the deep-rooted connection between past and present.

This session will offer a variety of perspectives on collaborative archaeology at Kejimkujik from the Mi’kmaq community, Parks Canada management, academic research, and archaeological consulting.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Sierra McKinney, Université de Montréal

Résumé de session

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.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Margarita de Guzman, Circle CRM Group + The Fair Field Foundation
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

Despite the important contributions made by female archaeologists throughout history, young women in the field still face barriers to recognition and advancement. This session aims to provide a platform for emerging female voices in archaeology and to inspire the next generation of women to take an active role in shaping the future of the field. We will bring together young female scholars, practitioners, and advocates to present their research, share their experiences, and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing women in archaeology today. The session will also provide a space for networking, mentorship, and support. Whether you are a young woman in archaeology or an ally, this session is an opportunity to connect, learn, and be a part of creating a more inclusive and equitable future for the field.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Lisa Hodgetts, The University of Western Ontario
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

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.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Ken Holyoke, University of Lethbridge
  • Maryssa Barras, ICOMOS
  • Steven Dorland, Grand Valley State University
  • Beatrice Fletcher, McMaster University
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

This is a Hybrid Session and will include online and in-person panelists and participants. 

The CAA-ACA Advocacy Committee will be hosting a panel discussion featuring industry professionals from CRM and the heritage sector (NGOs, government) discussing their backgrounds, training, and experience.  Panelists will present short, prepared marks, following which a Q&A session for attendees will be taking place.

The target audience for this session is upper-year undergraduates, graduate students, and early career professionals, and the purpose is to provide resources, guidance, and training by leveraging the expertise of CAA-ACA members and partners in our networks.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Sara Beanlands, Boreas Heritage Consulting
  • Jodi Howe (Mi'kmaq), Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq
  • Michelle Lelièvre, Department of Anthropology, William & Mary
  • Kisha Supernant, (Métis/Papaschase/British), Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

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.

Session Hosting Format: 
online session
Organizer(s): 
  • Steven Dorland, Grand Valley State University
  • Jordan Jamieson, Mississaugas of Credit First Nation
  • Councilor Veronica King-Jamieson, Mississaugas of Credit First Nation
  • Jonathan Ferrier, Dalhousie University
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

In this session, we want to hear about community-based archaeologies or Indigenous archaeologies that have taken place in the last few years. With COVID-19 and the continuing impacts of this pandemic on Indigenous communities, archaeologists and Indigenous communities have gotten creative in finding ways of bringing heritage and archaeology to Indigenous communities in ways that address their needs and interests. In this session, we want to hear about new methods of engagement, or effective methods of engagement in community-based archaeologies and Indigenous archaeologies that have laid a foundation for relationship building between research institutions and Indigenous partners across Turtle Island. In this session, we are hoping to provide an opportunity to hear from community members who are often not given platforms to speak about their experiences with archaeology and heritage driven projects and how we can move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities when developing projects. 

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Alexandra Derian, Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

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. 

Session Hosting Format: 
online session
Organizer(s): 
  • Shannon Lewis-Simpson, Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security, Canadian Defence Academy
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

This session will explore the critical roles that cultural heritage plays in conflict and crisis situations. The papers will be presented by those researching Cultural Property Protection  and how the notion of CPP in the 1954 Hague Convention and Protocols needs to be reexamined in light of modern conflict and crisis situations. The session will focus on the importance of culture as both a driver of conflict and as instrument of relief and recovery. The session will also explore best practices for communities, heritage professionals and emergency and military personnel to work together in times of conflict and crisis and, more importantly, to mitigate risk from future threats.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Gabriel Hrynick, University of New Brunswick
  • Matthew Betts, Canadian Museum of History
  • Kenneth Holyoke, University of Lethbridge
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

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. 

Presentations

Archaeology and the Landscape of Grand Pré – Managing a UNESCO World Heritage Site in a Spirit of Collaboration, Partnership and Multiple Perspectives
Author(s):
  • Catherine Cottreau-Robins - Nova Scotia Museum
  • Heather MacLeod-Leslie - Kwilmu'kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiations Office (KMKNO)
  • Claude DeGrace - Landscape of Grand Pre Inc.

UNESCO World Heritage sites are recognized as having Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) for humanity as a whole. This means they have cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations everywhere. The archaeological heritage of the landscape of Grand Pré, in the Kings County, Nova Scotia portion of Mi’kma’ki, is a key element of the OUV and one of the reasons for it being recognized internationally. There is a great diversity of archaeological sites in the landscape associated with the Mi’kmaq, the Acadians, the New England Planters and more. This poster aims to describe the collaborative and interdisciplinary framework in place for the management and development of archaeology in this remarkable place. Key to moving the archaeology forward is an approach that relies on multiple voices at the planning table. 2023 marks the renewal of the Strategy for the Management and Conservation of Archaeological Heritage in the Landscape of Grand Pré (inscribed 2012).  It is important to reflect on the changes to the strategy, the advancement of archaeology, and to highlight the stronger role of the Mi’kmaw voice in decision-making, planning and upcoming research.

What the Fort? An Overview of the 2021 and 2022 Field Seasons at Fort Carlton
Author(s):
  • Sarah  Pocha-Tait - University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Archaeological Society
  • Alexis K. B. Hunter - University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Archaeological Society

Fort Carlton was a fur trade post which operated from 1810-1885. Its original location was at the forks of the two Saskatchewan Rivers, but in 1810 it moved further southwest to a prime location along the North Saskatchewan River. This area holds the Cree name Pehonanik meaning “the waiting place”. The fort underwent five separate building phases during its time at this second location. Excavations in the 1960s and 70s by Ian Dyck and Anthony Ranere revealed the fourth and fifth building phases, which is where the reconstructed fort stands today at Fort Carlton Provincial Park. Further excavations ensued in 2021 and 2022 to the west of the reconstructed fort in search of the previous building phases and other features. The artifact assemblage currently sits at approximately 50,000, with about 80% consisting of faunal remains. This poster will provide an overview of these faunal remains, particularly the ones from 2021 and will highlight some of the key domestic artifacts found such as birch bark, bone tools, and ceramics.

Session Hosting Format: 
online session
Organizer(s): 
  • The CAA Student Committee:
  • Susannah Clinker, University of Toronto
  • Liam Wadsworth, University of Alberta
  • David Blaine, Athabasca University
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

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!

 

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Matthew Beaudoin, TMHC
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

Despite growing awareness of the history of Black populations in Canada, archaeological sites associate with Black families or communities remain uncommon. Some of the significant factors contributing to this underrepresentation is the difficulty of identifying these families and communities in the historical and archaeological records, as well as the continued lack of awareness concerning the potential presence of these sites and communities across the country. This session is a follow-up to a previous session from the 2019 CAA’s in Quebec City, where presenters are continuing to discuss and demonstrate various types of research and results broadly studying Black archaeological sites and communities to help increase awareness of the breadth of the potential studies and promote potential paths forward to ensure these sites and communities are being recognized in future work.

Presentations

Breaking Boundaries: Combining History, Archaeology and a Film Documentary to Find John Ware
Author(s):
  • Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer

John Ware (1845-1905) was born into slavery, gaining his freedom close to the end of the American Civil War. In 1882, he was part of a crew hired to bring 3,000 head of cattle from the United States to Canada for the Northwest Cattle Company. Ware remained on the Alberta Prairies, working for the Bar U and several other cattle companies where he achieved legendary status for his physical strength, horsemanship and courage. However, documentation of Ware’s life is rare, and the true nature of his life can be hard to discern from the legends built around him. Given the lack of documentary record, the identification of Ware’s homestead and buried cultural remains associated with this cowboy legend provide a unique opportunity to study the lifestyle of this historical figure. This paper will explore the life of John Ware as documented in the historic record, and how techniques of archaeological investigation including ground penetrating radar and traditional archaeological testing were used to identify Ware’s Millarville homestead. What is left in the ground to connect us with this cowboy legend?

Shiloh Baptist Church and Cemetery – an Archaeological Approach using GPR
Author(s):
  • Mike Markowski - Atlheritage Services Corp.

A short distance north of Maidstone, SK stands an old log building that has a history few are aware of.  This log building was the center of a small African American Pioneer community (est. in 1910), known as the ‘Shiloh People’ in search of freedom from racial segregation in Oklahoma. 

Local communities were reluctant to allow African Americans to be buried in their established cemeteries, owing to the need to establish their own.  The Shiloh Church and adjacent cemetery was established in 1911 and was actively used until the 1940s.

In more recent years, descendants of the Shiloh People have formed the Shiloh Baptist Church and Cemetery Restoration Society.  This society has taken on the roll of maintaining the Shiloh church and cemetery as well as uncovering the lost past of a courageous group of people in search of a free and peaceful life. 

Atlheritage Services Corp. completed a GPR survey for a portion of the cemetery and an area around the church in an attempt to rediscover forgotten graves located within the cemetery.  Our research resulted in the discovery of 5 unmarked graves and confirmation of oral historical accounts, which demonstrates the value of collaborative efforts and oral history.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Alec McLellan, University of New Brunswick
  • Cora Woolsey, ArchaeoSoft Inc.
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

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.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Benjamin, Kucher, University of Alberta; Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology
  • Lyndsay Dagg, University of Alberta; Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

Landscape is a vital part of any community. They affect and are affected by culture and those who live in them. Thus they are also a vital area of study for any archaeologist trying to understand a community. In 1982 Lewis Binford published “The Archaeology of Place” where he argued for the importance of understanding the relationships among places. Now, 40 years later, understanding the relationships between people and places is still just as important despite the methods used to do this changing greatly. Researchers have borrowed technologies from other fields including Geology and Geography and applied them to archaeological research. Archaeologists have a large array of tools at their disposal; Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with Multi-spectral and LiDAR sensors, and Magnetic Radiometry to name a few. It is through these technologies that we want to explore how the sub-discipline of landscape archaeology has and continues to develop. Using “a landscape approach provides cultural–historical frameworks to evaluate and interpret diverse observations about spatial and temporal variability in the structure and organization of material traces” (Anschuetz et al 2001). How then, are these theoretical frameworks, methods and technologies challenging our understanding of the complex nature of existing relationships between people, places, and material?

Anschuetz, Kurt F., Richard H. Wilshusen, and Cherie L. Scheick. 2001. ‘An Archaeology of Landscapes: Perspectives and Directions’. Journal of Archaeological Research 9 (2): 157–211. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016621326415.
Binford, Lewis R. 1982. ‘The Archaeology of Place’. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 1 (1): 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-4165(82)90006-X

Session Hosting Format: 
online session
Organizer(s): 
  • Benjamin Collins, University of Manitoba
  • Laura Kelvin, University of Manitoba

Résumé de session

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.

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Terry Beaulieu, St. Francis Xavier University
Contact Email: 

Résumé de session

Geographic Information systems have often been criticized for being colonizing tools, even when incorporated into otherwise well-meaning archaeological contexts. But must that necessarily always be the case, or can archaeologists use GIS to intentionally decentre the archaeological colonizing gaze and privilege Indigenous perspectives when conducting research? Informed by a Two-Eyed-Seeing approach - that embraces the strengths of Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing while simultaneously engaging with Western approaches and procedures - this session takes the view that the colonizing affects often evident in archaeological applications of GIS are due to the theoretical approaches taken by the archaeologists employing the tool rather than something necessarily inherent within the tool itself.  The papers comprising this session highlight some of the innovative approaches that can be used when incorporating GIS into archaeological research. They show applications of GIS that are not exercises in archaeological colonization but rather, through intentional theoretical engagement, elevate and bring to the fore Indigenous perspectives that have often been hidden by less critical archaeological applications of GIS.