This paper will examine archaeological relationships to place & soil. Though archaeologists frequently interact with soil, these encounters are often dictated according to transactional and static beliefs about land. In reflection of Vanessa Watts’ article “Indigenous Place-Thought & Agency Amongst Humans and Non-Humans (First Woman and Sky Woman Go On A European World Tour!)” (2013), this talk will draw on Indigenous theories and scholarship of sovereignty, with particular attention to knowledges from Denendeh. We will engage with how reciprocal & ethical relationships with soil relate to climate disaster, museum collections, heritage legislation, land dispossession, extractive industries, queerness, and time within the borders of what is colonially referred to as Canada.

Conversations about repatriation typically focus on the act of arranging and achieving the physical return of cultural belongings to their communities. To truly fulfill the ethos of repatriation, however, we must expand our definition to also include the archival and community work necessary for re-welcoming collected materials. This presentation will investigate this interdisciplinary entanglement in the contexts of public-facing cultural heritage regulations and an upcoming community-driven archival project with the Tłı̨chǫ government (Treaty 11, Northwest Territories). The Tłı̨chǫ are currently in possession of stored materials and wish to develop a welcoming space where these belongings can be experienced by the community and where future repatriations can be held. In this paper, I will argue that the ethos of repatriation is not always fulfilled through physical returns and that the reconnection process is not finished until the belongings are fully re-welcomed back into their community. Through this work, archival structures will be reconceptualized within the context of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and it will be shown that reframing cultural materials as living things with active roles in their cultural systems, rather than simply as indicators of past life, will re-tool anthropo­logical research to address reconciliation through decolonization.

Observational skills provide the foundation for many archaeological and drawing techniques. Drawing was often seen as critical in archaeology and formally taught within classes. However, the widespread use and adoption of digital photography and image-making has resulted in a decline in the use of drawing within archaeology, and such skills are now only briefly considered in archaeological teaching as practical and worthwhile endeavours. The analytical importance of drawing within archaeology is not usually considered beyond its role in providing visual representations for readers of archaeological reports or through its informal use by researchers in the field. This paper considers the role drawing can have within archaeology and suggests that drawing can and should be used as a tool to aid in critical observation. Two main sources of data were collected for this study: a collection of interviews with specialists (archaeologists, artists, etc.); and an experiment involving eight individuals to test whether critical observation skills were improved if individuals are provided instruction in basic drawing techniques. The results of this study suggest that drawing can be a useful mode of observation that generates data for archaeological interpretation rather than simply being a means of representing data.

Cultural heritage is relevant for everyone, yet it is something that we need to engage with to fully understand and appreciate. For those of us who teach archaeology, relaying the importance of cultural heritage to our students is essential. But in a fast-paced world, with constant distractions, it can be difficult to engage students in a discipline that many assume to have little relevance in – or connection to – today’s world. With an ever-growing suite of digital technologies on the market, which are becoming more widely available and accessible than ever before, there are exciting potentials for increasing student engagement with cultural heritage in new and modern ways. This presentation will share the results of a research study undertaken in the Anthropology laboratory at Langara College, where volunteers were given the opportunity to engage with cultural heritage using augmented and virtual realities. The aim of the study was to investigate whether or not these kinds of technologies had a measurable impact on student appreciation of cultural heritage in digital spaces, and whether or not they could attract more students to studying archaeology.

The modern videogame landscape is increasingly reliant on virtual storefronts— purchasing physical game discs or cartridges is now largely reserved for special editions or limited run releases and curating an expansive playable collection no longer requires amassing large physical assemblages. However, in leaving behind physical media and heavily relying on digital collections, videogame preservation is left vulnerable to circumstances beyond individual control, especially on consoles. Official storefronts, such as the Nintendo eShop and the PlayStation Store are relied on by consumers and creators alike to publish and distribute virtual titles. However, many companies now find it unprofitable to support storefronts for old consoles and have announced the shuttering of digital marketplaces. Once closed, games not already purchased are lost, leading to an interesting problem for games preservation and curation. Emulation allows for the continued preservation of these ‘lost’ titles as well as rare or inaccessible physical releases, but the practice operates in a legal gray area, making it difficult to be seen as the gold standard of games preservation. This presentation navigates the relationship between emulation and the games industry regarding approaches to heritage preservation, as gaming corporations rally against what might be the only thing keeping legacy titles alive.