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Many edges to the wedges : an overview of microblade technology in western Canada

Description

Microblade technology in western Canada is reviewed within a regional framework to broaden archaeologists’ understanding of its geographic and temporal distribution. Substantial references are... More ≫

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Microblade technology in western Canada is reviewed within a regional framework to broaden archaeologists’ understanding of its geographic and temporal distribution. Substantial references are made to archaeological grey literature. Focusing on two main microcore forms (Denali and fixed platform), the technology is shown to be found throughout the Holocene epoch, concentrated principally in British Columbia and the Yukon, with fewer occurrences in the Northwest Territories and Alberta. Microcore morphologies are strongly dependent on the qualities of toolstones used in their manufacture; the principal core forms demonstrate regionally distinct distributions and weak temporal trends. From the Late Pleistocene and through the Holocene, microblade technology in northwestern North America appears to increase and decrease in popularity on track with major climatic episodes. Substantial progress has been made in recent times in substantiating a north to south time-slope trend in...

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DgPf-18: Handprint rock art at the Sandstone Ranch site, North Milk River

Description

In 2017, Archaeological Survey staff investigated claims of rock art being present on a sandstone outcrop located at Sandstone Ranch, lands owned and managed jointly by the Nature of Conservancy... More ≫

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In 2017, Archaeological Survey staff investigated claims of rock art being present on a sandstone outcrop located at Sandstone Ranch, lands owned and managed jointly by the Nature of Conservancy of Canada, the Alberta Conservation Association, and the Alberta Fish and Game Association. A preliminary visit to the outcrop resulted in the identification of a couple of red ochre handprints and smears. The rock art was identified as Foothills Abstract Tradition rock art. This paper discusses the significance of this newly identified rock art and how it relates to the distribution of other red ochre handprints and smears in Plains rock art.

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Archaeology on the brink : papers in honour of John W. Brink, 2023

Description

This volume is dedicated to Jack Brink who undertook ground-breaking research over his 40 year career with the Archaeological Survey of Alberta and Royal Alberta Museum. He produced many... More ≫

Description

This volume is dedicated to Jack Brink who undertook ground-breaking research over his 40 year career with the Archaeological Survey of Alberta and Royal Alberta Museum. He produced many publications and presentations for professional and avocational audiences, he played a formative role in the development of cultural resource management policy in Alberta, and was a creative and driving force in the establishment of world-class interpretive facilities and public programs. The papers in this volume discuss a variety of archaeological topics in Western Canada that continue Jack's legacy of shaping people and research.

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I’ll aways miss the point... and I still don’t know Jack

Description

This paper is an adapted conference presentation for inclusion in a collection of tributes to Jack Brink. The paper is meant to stand as a memory to those who attended the conference symposium and... More ≫

Description

This paper is an adapted conference presentation for inclusion in a collection of tributes to Jack Brink. The paper is meant to stand as a memory to those who attended the conference symposium and to honour an admired colleague.

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Bibliography of Jack W. Brink

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This is a bibliography of articles and book chapters by Jack W. Brink.

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Chinese government scholarships : program overview

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Each year, the Government of China provides a number of scholarships enabling residents of Alberta to study in China. Alberta high school graduates, post-secondary students and scholars wishing to... More ≫

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Each year, the Government of China provides a number of scholarships enabling residents of Alberta to study in China. Alberta high school graduates, post-secondary students and scholars wishing to participate in Chinese language studies, academic study at the undergraduate or graduate level, or research are all eligible. The language of instruction is primarily Chinese, but a limited number of programs are offered in English. The program may also sponsor and recommend remedial Chinese language studies for applicants who are not applying for the Chinese language study program.

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Swan Hills Treatment Center: PCBs and PCDD/F in wild game and fish tissue (1999-2014)

Description

The Swan Hills Treatment Centre (SHTC) is a facility for the safe disposal of special wastes located approximately 12 km northeast of the town of Swan Hills, AB. On October 16, 1996, a malfunction... More ≫

Description

The Swan Hills Treatment Centre (SHTC) is a facility for the safe disposal of special wastes located approximately 12 km northeast of the town of Swan Hills, AB. On October 16, 1996, a malfunction of a transformer furnace was discovered to have caused the release of a portion of process gases containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) into the ambient air. These chemicals can be harmful to human health. Therefore, in 1997 Alberta Health (AH) conducted a human health risk assessment study to estimate human exposure and to evaluate the effectiveness of public health interventions. As a result of the study, food consumption advice for wild game and fish taken within a 30 km radius of the facility were issued out of concern that PCBs and PCDD/Fs were accumulating in these locally caught foods. A long-term environmental monitoring and human exposure assessment program has been ongoing since 1998 to monitor concentrations of...

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Stories from Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump : an interview with Boyd Wettlaufer

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Boyd Wettlaufer carried out the first systematic excavations at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in 1949. Stories from Wettlaufer himself describe his work at the site and his relations with local... More ≫

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Boyd Wettlaufer carried out the first systematic excavations at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in 1949. Stories from Wettlaufer himself describe his work at the site and his relations with local communities. The artifacts recovered by Wettlaufer are examined and compared to results from subsequent excavations. The presence of the Paleoindian artifacts, as well as certain landscape features, suggests the site was used as a bison kill as long ago as 9000 BP. Several artifacts made of exotic raw materials show that the people at Head-Smashed-In were involved in the trade and movement of raw materials not native to Alberta.

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The recovery for display of a 1,600-year-old roasting pit feature from Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

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Dozens of pre-contact pit features have been recorded during excavations of the processing area at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, in Alberta, Canada. In 1990 a largely intact 1,600-year-old... More ≫

Description

Dozens of pre-contact pit features have been recorded during excavations of the processing area at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, in Alberta, Canada. In 1990 a largely intact 1,600-year-old roasting pit feature was located and left in situ as it was considered a good candidate for future display, should an opportunity present itself. In 2016 that opportunity was realized with the planned development of the new Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton. The feature was relocated, excavated, and enclosed in a plaster jacket using a technique commonly used by paleontologists for fossil recovery. After removal and transport, the final excavation of the feature was accomplished in the museum, allowing optimal excavation conditions that produced some unusual results. This methodology allows the preservation and long-term interpretation of archaeological material, providing an alternative to dismantling these features under standard archaeological research conditions.

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An unusual Avonlea pit at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Description

At the instigation of Jack Brink, a large pit feature situated in the processing area of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (DkPj-1) was excavated in 1992. Apparently made by enlarging an animal burrow,... More ≫

Description

At the instigation of Jack Brink, a large pit feature situated in the processing area of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (DkPj-1) was excavated in 1992. Apparently made by enlarging an animal burrow, the irregularly shaped feature contained ochre-painted bison bones, bison mandible digging implements, large portions of a pottery vessel, projectile points, 17 sets of articulated bison bones, portions of 15 bison skulls, and almost 1000 identifiable faunal specimens, the vast majority being bison. Artifacts and radiocarbon dates between 1300 and 1050 cal BP indicate the feature is associated with Avonlea. In the absence of a functional interpretation relating to the processing of bison, a ceremonial/ritual purpose appears to be the best explanation for this unusual pit feature.

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