Pottery on the Northern Great Plains has been viewed as a technology that was rapidly replaced by European metal wares, lacked durability, and did not fit a mobile lifeway. In contrast, our recent archaeological research, analysis of ethnographic accounts, and experiments with replica  vessels have provided insight on the adoption and abandonment of pottery in this region. Our findings suggest that the first pottery vessels were incorporated into ceremonial contexts, indicating broader social and cultural significance as a plastic medium for indirectly communicating with other communities. Once adopted, pottery remained a part of cuisine in this region until the arrival of Europeans which brought about many changes that impacted pottery production. The loss of access to traditional clay sources following European contact, coupled with a shift toward fur production, contributed to the decline of pottery production among communities. Experimental evidence further demonstrates that, with repeated use, these vessels increase in strength, can be used year-round, help prevent the burning of foods, and effectively retain flavour. Vessel performance alone does not fully explain the transition away from pottery in favour of metal wares.

This paper reflects on a recent Indigenous youth engagement project as an instance of multi-modal curation, in which material, embodied, oral, and digital modes of knowledge-making are brought into dialogue. The 3D Ancestor Artefact Project is a collaborative initiative between the Bryan/Gruhn Archaeology Collection and the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology (IPIA) at the University of Alberta and amiskwaciy Academy, an Edmonton Public School primarily serving First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students. We engaged Grade 10 students in experiential learning through direct encounters with archaeological belongings from their own heritage and others, integrating Indigenous knowledge systems, intergenerational knowledge exchange, and digital technologies. Students handled, analyzed, and documented ancestral belongings from the collection, participated in knowledge sharing circles and workshops with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, while learning archaeological methods through Indigenous and multi-disciplinary lenses. Students produced a digital database of 3D scans, printable models, and heritage resources that can be shared with schools across Alberta and Canada. We consider how centering Indigenous youth, community knowledge holders, and relationships with ancestral belongings can transform curatorial and youth engagement practices, repositioning university collections as sites of cultural resilience, intergenerational learning, and community-led heritage stewardship.

Have you ever been in a museum and thought “what would this item say if it could speak”? Or, “who collected this item, and how did it end up in a museum collection”?  Unfortunately, due to the historical processes through which many items have entered into museum collections, we lack the information that even the collector may have known. As time passes, the memories and stories shared by those who have cared for the items are often forgotten or lost. My work explores how oral histories and narrative storytelling interviews with curators and donors to the Bryan/Gruhn Archaeology and Ethnographic Collections at the University of Alberta can be used to document and better understand tangible and intangible aspects of items’ life histories. In these interviews, we discuss how the items came into the Collections and any interesting stories or memories they had to share. By employing a multi-modal approach, my work reinvigorates the connections that have lay dormant, illuminating relationships between the items and their carers and reframing the items as active participants in their life histories. Through this work, I aim to enhance the preservation and ethical stewardship of the items both individually and as a collective assemblage.