Activism, collaboration and public engagement in archaeology and bioarchaeology across Canada : an overview

Session Hosting Format: 
in-person session
Organizer(s): 
  • Diane Martin-Moya, Ph.D., Invited researcher, département d'anthropologie, laboratoire de bioarchéologie humaine, Université de Montréal ; Postdoctoral fellow, département de biochimie, chimie, physique et science forensique, Laboratoire TRACE, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
  • Manek Kolhatkar, Ph.D., Independent researcher and consulting archaeologist ; Professor, Kiuna College.
Contact Email: 
manek.kolhatkar@umontreal.ca
Session Description (300 word max): 

This session seeks to evaluate the state of archaeological activism in Canada. Activism can take various forms: reshaping educational programs or heritage laws; engaging on-the-ground participation in protests; researching how today’s injustices have been shaped and left untouched by past practices; engaging with a broader public using social or traditional media outlets; developing collaborative projects and critically evaluating their outcomes; unionizing initiatives in private or academic settings; speculation as to what tomorrow could look like.

Topics can vary as well, from general concerns stemming from the capitalist and colonial structure of Canada, to the place that archaeology and bioarchaeology as practices should hold in a changing educational and socio-political climate, or to how (bio)archaeologists may engage in the day-to-day concerns of the communities that host their work.

We welcome contributions ranging from coast to coast, and from practitioners at work in archaeological and/or bioarchaeological settings. We prioritize slightly shorter papers than usual, so that more time can be devoted to increasing the workshops coverage and discussions afterwards. We consider this workshop as a step towards knitting stronger relationships between archaeological activists across Provinces and Nations, identifying their most pressing concerns, easing the sharing of knowledge and tools, and organizing at a larger scale.

Présentations
A Collaborative Framework of Archaeological Research on the Northshore, Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Vincent Jankunis - Archaeological Survey of Alberta

Factors that must always be taken into consideration when developing the research design of an archaeological project – funding/budget, scope, field logistics, and the dissemination of findings – take on greater importance when working in collaboration with an Indigenous community. This paper discusses how these practical considerations were approached over the course of an ambitious project that saw much of the north shore of Alberta’s second largest lake surveyed. What worked, what didn’t, how the approach to archaeological research matured over three years, and what was learned from material culture left from at least 6,000 years of life on Lesser Slave Lake.
Curating archaeological collections for community consultation at the University of Manitoba
Format de présentation : In-Person
Auteur-e(s) :
  • Rachel ten Bruggencate - University of Manitoba
  • Lara Rosenoff Gauvin - University of Manitoba
  • Laura Kelvin - University of Manitoba

In June 2024, the University of Manitoba adopted policy requiring all units housing Indigenous Ancestors, Burial Belongings, and cultural heritage acquired without consent to proactively engage in community-led Rematriation, Repatriation, and/or respectful care planning. This policy was developed in a working circle with the guidance of a council of Indigenous Elders, Grandmothers, Grandfathers, and Knowledge Keepers.

This policy is relevant to most of the archaeological collections housed in the UM Department of Anthropology. Many of these collections are poorly documented and improperly housed. The introduction of the RRRC policy and wise practices has shifted the focus of addressing these issues from meeting typical curatorial best practices to making collections accessible for community consultation. We will discuss how this shift has altered and improved collections management practices in the UM Department of Anthropology and lays the foundation for more ethical heritage engagement.