Knitting New Narratives: Student Voices in Archaeology

Session Hosting Format:

in-person session

Organizer(s):

Jared T. Hogan, Dept. of Archaeology Graduate Society, Memorial University
Alyshia Reesor, Dept. of Archaeology Graduate Society, Memorial University
Jacinda Sinclair, Dept. of Archaeology Graduate Society, Memorial University
Otis Crandell, Dept. of Archaeology Graduate Society, Memorial University
Mahta Sheikhi, Dept. of Archaeology Graduate Society, Memorial University
Julia Brenan, Dept. of Archaeology Graduate Society, Memorial University

Contact Email:

Session Description (300 word max):

The Department of Archaeology Graduate (DAG) Society at Memorial University is please to organize a session, titled: Knitting New Narratives: Student Voices in Archaeology, for students interested in giving an oral presentation on their research.

Both graduate and undergraduate students play crucial roles in the advancement of archaeology. Undergraduate students help to bring new energy and fresh perspectives, often asking questions that can lead to significant insights. Graduate students, with their more focused research, push the boundaries of the field by developing new methodologies or deepening the understanding of complex archaeological contexts. This session provides a platform for students to share and discuss their research findings openly. It fosters an environment that prioritizes learning and collaboration, allowing students to explore their topics without the immediate need to demonstrate broad field impact. Their active participation in academic discussions propels archaeology forward as a dynamic and evolving discipline. Attendees will gain insight into how new ideas and technologies are being integrated into archaeological research, enhancing traditional methods and expanding the field’s boundaries. This session also provides an opportunity for students to engage with both peers and experienced professionals in a dialogue that is constructive and centered on mutual learning and growth. We invite all conference participants to join this session to support and encourage our emerging scholars.

Presentations

Always Here: Documenting the Invisible History of Indigenous Peoples in Newfoundland & Labrador

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Jared T. Hogan - Archaeology, Memorial University
Rochelle Côté - Sociology, Memorial University

As one of the first points of colonization in the Americas and the longest-lasting British colony until joining Canada in 1949, Newfoundland and Labrador has a unique political history, shaping a contentious relationship with Indigenous Peoples. Many non-Indigenous residents, especially on the Avalon Peninsula, believe no Indigenous Peoples remain—a myth rooted in Terra nullius (‘nobody’s land’) and used to justify dispossession. However, Indigenous oral histories and archaeological evidence challenge this narrative. This presentation will share preliminary work of the Always Here: Documenting the Invisible History of Indigenous Peoples in Newfoundland & Labrador project, a part of the SSHRC-NCTR WISH grant initiative, which analyzed media sources from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century, revealing shifts in settler-colonial perceptions of Indigenous Peoples. Using Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative and Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies, researchers and students compiled a database of provincial media sources, including newspapers and executive council reports. Analysis shows a transition from the early publication of racist, colonial narratives that promote the erasure of Indigenous Peoples and romanticization of the Beothuk as a ‘lost civilization’ in the 1800's, to growing support for Indigenous communities and self-governance in the twenty-first century. These shifts confirm that Indigenous Peoples have always been in the province, debunk Terra nullius, and show increasing awareness and recognition of the role that Indigenous Peoples play in the province—a sign of progress towards reconciliation.

Beyond Arrival and Abandonment: Bayesian modelling as a tool to consider the untold timescapes of Newfoundland’s Dorset occupation

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Zoe Helleiner - MUN

The Dorset people (also referred to as Sivullirmiut, Tuniit, Paleo-Inuit, Pre-Inuit and Middle Dorset) had a widespread and intense presence in Newfoundland for nearly a millennium, but our understanding of Dorset culture and relationships in this region remains largely homogenized and static. Studies have long lacked consideration of the internal chronology of the Dorset occupation of Newfoundland, as researchers have often not had the analytical tools or sample sizes necessary to evaluate the temporal contexts of their samples. Bayesian modelling is one such tool which can overcome previous issues to shed light on the timescapes of Dorset occupation. Therefore, this project will analyze existing and new radiocarbon dates to scrutinize patterns of shifting internal regional populations throughout this occupation of Newfoundland and Southern Labrador, laying the groundwork for more nuanced understandings of regional relationships and potentially even the fate of this population. The foundation for identifying such shifts depends on an improved understanding of 1) the regional chronology of Dorset occupation of Newfoundland and Southern Labrador, 2) the lifespan of the key site of Phillip’s Garden on the Northern Peninsula.

Death and Discovery: 3500s years in one square kilometre. Stories on the land from of Burton Rock and Old Fort Churchill

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Miguel Valverde-Yetman - University of Manitoba

A presentation on the dramatic and storied use of a small area on the Churchill West Peninsula. Featuring images, maps, and interwoven narratives on the land from pre-Dorset dwellings, failed attempts to find the Northwest passage, and later Dene and Cree occupation paramount to to the success of the fur trade. Appreciate the beauty, isolation and how Mother Nature’s resists human access to the sub-arctic area.

Queer Voices of Craft: What queerness and textile crafters can teach archaeologists about cultural world building

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Kathryn D'Agostino - Memorial University of Newfoundland

Research on textiles has been entrenched in binary discussions, art versus craft, feminine versus masculine, skilled versus unskilled. Queer theory allows craft based work to be viewed as its own entity with its own agency. A sapphic perspective would see masculine and feminine as entwined dynamics of a singular. There is a pattern of belief that to study women, the ‘othered, there must be discussion of juxtaposition but viewing textiles from the binaries of heteronormative and cisnormativity removes an aspect of feminine agency.The constructing of homes and kinship structures by queer people is part of the queerness of textiles. Queer spaces are othered spaces of individuals challenging the existing systems that other them. Flipping their relegation to the home space into intentional world creation with their own ‘interior’ lives, those who occupy othered spaces participate in world making conscious of the dangers they face in traditional structures.

As researchers, we must object to placing our research in the default framework of our existence. We may need to reference the systematic structures of our own existence, but archaeologists can effectively assess archaeological material through an alternative lens of queer theory.

The Monochrome Mosaic: The Representation of Black Colonial Period (1600-1900 C.E) History in Atlantic Canada's Monumental Landscape

Presentation format: In-Person

Author(s):

Heather Tough - Memorial University of Newfoundland

Currently, Canada's monumental landscape predominantly portrays white settler history with specific narratives given to marginalized groups. In 2022, Parks Canada launched the Inclusions Commemoration Initiative to work with marginalized communities to make the National Program of Historical Commemoration more diverse. Although there has been work towards further inclusion, there is still an absence of broad academic discussion about these landscapes. This is highlighted in the narratives surrounding black presence within Canada, especially in Atlantic Canada. Via a comparative analysis of the distribution and representation of different identities in Canada's monumental landscape, this research will ask: What is the representation of Black colonial period history (1600-1900 C.E) in Atlantic Canada's monumental landscape? The end goal is a dataset that catalogues black monuments in Atlantic Canada, identifies their demographic and geographic trends, explores the narratives which they represent, and documents current accessibility, preservation and memorialization efforts. Looking at examples of current movements for the protection of black heritage sites will further illustrate the importance of landscape within historical narrative buildings and how heritage sites and monuments become spaces of power. It will also highlight the impact that public narrative, or lack thereof, has on general beliefs of Canadian history.