A number of archivists, historians and archaeologists have made important contributions to our understanding of maps produced by members of First Nations and Inuit communities. Perhaps none of these cartographic representations has received as much attention as that produced by Ac ko mok ki for Peter Fidler at Chesterfield House in 1801 and 1802. One of the greatest challenges in deciphering these historical documents is the identification of landmarks depicted and labelled on these Blackfoot maps. Of particular interest is the identification of the named peaks depicted and labelled within the double lines representing the Rocky Mountains. Earlier attempts have focussed primarily on relating the Blackfoot names to mountains with similar modern names or in terms of their location relative to other peaks. However, none of the researchers have tried to incorporate the Blackfoot understanding of the world in their approaches to the interpretation of the maps. In this presentation, I propose to illustrate the benefits of adopting the Blackfoot worldview in combination with our Western understanding of modern cartographic conventions to outline a process for the identification of specific peaks on one of Ac Ko Mok ki’s map.

During the course of a CRM project on Cotnam Island in the Ottawa River, at Pembroke, Ontario; two stone features were recorded. Feature 1 is a circular feature approximately 3 m in diameter comprised a ring of rocks. Feature 2 is located approximately 19 m to the west of Feature 1. This feature is comprised of two roughly parallel low dry-stone walls approximately 2 m apart and 2 m long. Shovel testing was conducted around the features but no artifacts were recovered. The circular feature is definitely an indigenous shelter of some kind, probably from the Woodland Period; but what about feature 2? It is a puzzle. What is it? How old is it? Is it associated with Feature 1? How are we to know if it is even archaeological? Given its proximity to feature 1, the general size of the stones, and how overgrown the feature is, it seems likely to be archaeological. But how do we prove it? And how do we determine its Cultural Heritage Value and Interest for the purposes of CRM? To answer these questions, I turned to OSL to provide a path forward for development.

Integration of map information to support archaeological inference is often a frustrating process of grappling with issues of precision, accuracy, scale and data resolution. Over the past decade the nature and availability of map data has rapidly transformed, affecting how we collect, integrate and analyze it. Particularly important for our analysis are Manitoba provincial ‘data liberation’ policies whereby high quality geomatic data is readily available for download.  The Fort Ellice investigations have involved integration of precisely georeferenced aerial data with that collected using Unmapped Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These latter data feature output from diverse sensors beyond conventional ‘visible light’ cameras.  These modern baseline data are then evaluated utilizing archival information to further non-invasive archaeological prospection.

Representing the first recorded Precontact-era cobblestone quarry in Calgary, EgPn-797 recently provided an opportunity to revisit the question of how to date these enigmatic sites. Cobblestone quarries have received considerable attention since the 1960s, particularly regarding temporal use and cultural association. However, the typical absence of datable organic materials or time-diagnostic artifacts has thwarted these studies.

At about 15 to 20 cm below the surface, artifact-bearing sediments at Site EgPn-797 had the potential to address this longstanding issue. Soil monoliths were collected, screened using optical profiling, and submitted to the University of St Andrews for laboratory and formal optical measurements.

Optical profiling demonstrated that three luminescence ‘units’ could be defined within the stratigraphy. Laboratory characterization validated the profiling results and further demonstrated that the sediments were suitable for formal analysis. Formal dating was conducted on four samples and indicated that the artifact-bearing sediments at Site EgPn-797 accumulated between about 9.25 ± 0.74 ka and 5.27 ± 0.67 ka. 

Our work demonstrates the effectiveness of using optical methods in investigating cobblestone quarries and other stratigraphically shallow sites and underlines the importance of a staged approach which increases the interpretability of the data and makes the method accessible within most research contexts. 

Tatichek Lake’s archaeological sites have and continue to be the ancestral homelands of the Cheslatta Carrier Nation and an important place of cultural interest for the community. The lake is located in the “Coast and Mountains” Eco province of British Columbia (Ecoregion Classification System) and thousands of artefacts, lithic debitage and tools, including projectile points have been recovered from just one surface exposure of a 100m section of beach surface. The site is being investigated by a team of First Nations and archaeologically-trained individuals, considering many research questions pertaining to the relationship between people and plants, paleoenvironmental conditions, and lithic uses in the contexts in question. Using a multidisciplinary approach to assess research questions overall, macrobotanical analysis, including seeds and wood charcoal, phytolith analysis, faunal remains, and blood protein residue analysis were employed through Atlatl Archaeology Ltd in conjunction with the ongoing archaeological mitigations. Working together and utilizing specialist techniques, analysts and project archaeologists build a picture that is fuller, higher resolution, and more encompassing than ever before.