Within the island of Newfoundland and the adjacent French-operated territory of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, extensive historical and archaeological research has uncovered details on the fisheries prosecuted by various European nations and the subsequent colonization of the region. However, despite thorough evidence of trade connections across the Atlantic, parallel to the Atlantic Slave Trade and the colonial trajectory of the Caribbean, the narrative of enslavement through the 17th-19th centuries has been, until recently, unconsidered and perpetuated as nonexistent. With recent awareness and research into the accounts of enslaved persons within Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, this research attempts to provide a more realistic and complex analysis of the enslaved labor forces associated with the North Atlantic fisheries and trade. Previously alienated through historical oversight and a deficit of documentation, a reexamination of African diaspora in fishery spaces can reinsert the reality of enslavement and restore dignity from silencing dominant narratives. Examined through a postcolonial lens, methods to be employed include archival research, a review of secondary source literature, a targeted assessment/re-assessment of archaeological collections, and public education outreach.

This literature review will explore the Meadowood burial tradition (2800-2500 B.P.), focusing on the research concerning cache bifaces at these sites. The review will synthesize findings from the Maritime provinces, studies published over the past four decades to highlight major trends, sites, and methodology. 

Key themes to be presented include using biface caches to demonstrate social status in mortuary ceremonies and trade within the macroregional Meadowood Interaction Sphere. The review examines topics such as the sudden absence of the Meadowood Tradition, which persisted for at least 4 decades (some authors cite 500 years) before being succeeded by the Middlesex Tradition (2500-2200 B.P.), characterized by distinct forms of pottery and heavy woodworking tools. The temporal gap, issues of chronology and site classification of Meadowood Tradition will be discussed as avenues for future study.

This poster will present an overview of the literature, using visual aids to illustrate the development of ideas and approaches within the analysis of Meadowood cache bifaces. The aim will be to provide a comprehensive understanding of the existing literature concerning Meadowood burial traditions in the Maritimes and to encourage discussion about potential topics for future research. 

Keywords: [Indigenous sites, lithics, burial goods]

This research examines post-medieval coarse earthenware (Bretonware) produced in Brittany, France, between the 17th and 19th centuries, brought by Breton fishers participating in the migratory fisheries to the North Atlantic, including Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. The Bretons were among the first European groups to exploit the Northwestern Atlantic’s marine resources alongside the Basques and Normans. Yet, Breton ceramics remain largely understudied in North America, and research in France is exceedingly limited. Produced on an artisanal scale primarily for local use, Bretonware found on North Atlantic archaeological sites reflects the regional identities of Breton fisherfolk and their role in transatlantic fisheries. Through a comparative analysis of the Anse à Bertrand site in Saint-Pierre and four contemporary sites in Atlantic Canada (c. 17th–20th centuries) with collections from production centers in Brittany, complemented by documentary and historical sources from both production (Brittany) and consumption contexts (North Atlantic), this research seeks to enhance our understanding of Bretonware productions, the identity of fisherfolks, and its connection to the development of the salt-cod fishery.

This poster highlights the outcomes of a community-driven research project that focused on locating new Mi'kmaw archaeology sites in the central region of the island of Newfoundland using Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing). Etuaptmumk is a guiding principle developed by Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall that emphasizes the importance of bringing together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing. In collaboration with Mi'kmaw communities in central, this community-driven project aimed to identify and document sites significant to the Mi’kmaq in this region. The research and fieldwork methodologies combined Indigenous knowledge with contemporary archaeological methods, emphasizing the importance of local knowledge, Mi’kmaw oral history, and cultural practices to guide the research and fieldwork. This presentation will outline the methods used to identify areas of archaeological potential, the process of locating and documenting Mi’kmaw sites, the challenges encountered in balancing research objectives and community work, and the rewarding outcomes of community engagement. By centering Mi'kmaw knowledge and priorities, this project not only expanded our understanding of the region’s archaeological record but also strengthened connections between community members, their ancestors, and their cultural heritage while also empowering community members to become involved in archaeology and reclaim and protect their heritage for future generations.

In line with new emerging holistic studies about human-animal interactions as well as increased attention to climate change’s impact on biogeography, this study will consider the questions: how did Inuvialuit relationships with birds change over time, and is it possible to identify whether climate change may have impacted these relationships within the archaeological record? To answer these questions, this study looks at avian assemblages from two houses at Cache Point and Kuukpak, archaeological sites along the western bank of the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta, which span from the 1300s to 1800s C.E. These records are supplemented with four previously identified contexts to understand how patterns of birds’ presence on sites change throughout time. Between three periods of occupation, occurrence patterns of bird categories are linked to subsistence, raw material, symbolism, and identity using ethnographic analogy from ethnohistoric sources and traditional stories. Changes between Cache Point and Kuukpak are noted as greater than changes between different periods of occupation at Kuukpak. Attempts are also made to link these patterns to climate change to understand how events such as the Little Ice Age may impact the trends in the zooarchaeological record.

Little St. Lawrence  (LSL), located on the Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula, was home to small but significant whaling station from 1903-1907. Its significance was due to the efforts of Dr. Ludwig Rissmüller, a German-American chemist, who patented a process for manufacturing previously unused parts from whale carcasses into fertilizer. Prior to Dr. Rissmüller’s processes, the majority of the harvested whale carcasses were drifted back out to sea, creating pollution and boat traffic problems. His factory in LSL acted as the prototype facility for his patents that would become standards in the industry. Today, there is little physical evidence remaining of the station in LSL. The goal of this project is to create a visual reconstruction of the site through mapping with real-time kinematics (RTK) and drone photogrammetry and comparison with historical data. The whaling station represents a significant chapter in the history of Little St. Lawrence and the development of the modern shore-station whaling industry. Mapping the site offers valuable insights into the organization of the factory’s buildings and docks, while contributing to the preservation of archaeological features and enrichment of local historical knowledge.

The Nunatsiavut community of Hopedale holds a multi-faceted role in Labrador Inuit history. Inhabited by Inuit as early as the 16^th century, the location was the site of Avertok, a settlement whose name meant the place of whales, and which served as a meeting point for whaling and trade. In 1782, it also became a key location for Inuit-Moravian relations when the Hopedale Mission was built. Within academia, Avertok was the focal point for one of Arctic archaeology’s foundational documents. Given the connections between foodways and lifeways among mobile hunters, and Avertok’s reputation as the place of whales, one would expect diet to be central to any archaeological research undertaken here. However, for nearly a century, the only true intensive study of Avertok – done by Junius Bird in 1934 on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History – excluded the collection of faunal remains and focused almost entirely on architecture. The original Avertok settlement has now been builtover, making the possibility of any future excavation of undisturbed features unlikely. Thus, the question becomes not only what was the diet at Avertok, but also, how do we reconstruct something so important when data has potentially been lost?

Newfoundland and Labrador’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples is complex—rooted in the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the Terms of Union when Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949. Despite significant advocacy for recognizing Indigenous Peoples in the province, educational gaps on Indigenous topics persist, hindering efforts toward reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action (TRC C2A) #62 and #63 underscore the need for education in four key areas: Residential Schools, Indigenous History, Contemporary Indigenous Contributions, and Treaties. This poster presents a student-led initiative by two undergraduate students and two graduate students/instructors, responding to the TRC C2A and informed by their archaeology coursework. Our project aims to share vital insights on these critical topics—subjects notably absent from public schooling—by creating a digital resource using Google Sites. The website features a Territory Acknowledgement, Student Positionality Statements, a 'Working in a Good Way' Statement, and dedicated pages for each key area. Although a student endeavor, we hope that this platform will serve as a starting point for learners to deepen their understanding of Indigenous Peoples in Newfoundland and Labrador. Future collaborations with Indigenous Governments and communities are essential to further develop this resource.

In 2021, the shíshálh Nation and the University of Saskatchewan embarked on a collaborative research initiative aimed at documenting the long-term adaptive resource management strategies of the shíshálh people amid fluctuating environmental conditions and colonial policies, while also serving as a model for meaningful reconciliation. This initiative, known as sEARCH (sinkwu Environmental ARCHaeology), seeks to uncover patterns of resource utilization and environmental interaction within the archaeological record by integrating paleoenvironmental data with traditional knowledge from shíshálh community members. This paper highlights the findings from the analysis of archaeological data collected at shíshálh sites along the Strait of Georgia on the North American Northwest Coast, paired with insights uncovered from oral histories, with a particular focus on Thormanby Island.