All Resources

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.

Tags

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

Description

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 ≫

Description

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.

Tags

Microbotanical remains, residues, and usewear : other views of Head- Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Description

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is one of the best-known archaeological sites in Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This paper examines examples of phytoliths, charcoal, lithic tool residues,... More ≫

Description

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is one of the best-known archaeological sites in Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This paper examines examples of phytoliths, charcoal, lithic tool residues, and usewear to cast new cultural and palaeoenvironmental light on the site. Phytoliths and charcoal corroborate that the past environment was a foothills fescue mixed grassland, as it is today. Tools unexpected at a bison kill, such as hide scrapers and drills, document probable use of the site as an occasional campsite outside the times when it was used for bison hunting. In particular, the residues and usewear demonstrate processing of plants

Tags

Radiocarbon dates in Alberta’s northern forests and potential for inferring changes in ancient Indigenous populations

Description

Assemblages of radiocarbon dates have been used for inferring population changes, fine-tuning the chronology of specific events, and used in association with diagnostic stone tools to establish... More ≫

Description

Assemblages of radiocarbon dates have been used for inferring population changes, fine-tuning the chronology of specific events, and used in association with diagnostic stone tools to establish chronological markers. However, boreal forest ecosystems of northern Alberta have presented many challenges to using dates for these purposes, including academic neglect, acidic soils that decompose datable material, and the over-extension of typologies from neighboring regions. This study outlines recommendations for successful dating methods in the boreal forest, synthesizes Alberta’s boreal radiocarbon record, and infers changes in Indigenous populations throughout the Pre-contact Period. A total of 220 dated occupations from 135 pre-contact sites in Alberta’s Boreal Forest suggest that populations were very sporadic from about 10,000 cal BP until approximately 6,500 cal BP, then began to rise dramatically around 3,000 cal BP. Populations remained stable from approximately 1,500 cal BP...

Tags

Fifty years of fur trade archaeology in northern Alberta forests : what have we accomplished?

Description

This study examines the status of fifty years of archaeological research of the Historic Period (c. 1787-1920) in northern Alberta, Canada. More specifically, it reviews research conducted for... More ≫

Description

This study examines the status of fifty years of archaeological research of the Historic Period (c. 1787-1920) in northern Alberta, Canada. More specifically, it reviews research conducted for both fur trade archaeology and historic Indigenous archaeology by provincial and federal sectors. The study focuses on one of the most fundamental components of archaeological inquiry: the Alberta archaeological site inventory. Using the historic documentary record, the paper determines the potential fur trade and historic Indigenous sites present in northern Alberta and examines archaeological records compiled in northern Alberta to assess their suitability to investigate historic peoples of that region.

Tags

Archaeology in western Canada’s boreal forest, 2021

Description

This volume is dedicated to archaeology in western Canada’s boreal forest and includes papers that contribute to understandings of pre-contact and historic adaptations. The papers also shed light... More ≫

Description

This volume is dedicated to archaeology in western Canada’s boreal forest and includes papers that contribute to understandings of pre-contact and historic adaptations. The papers also shed light on how past people and archaeological studies in this region can inform work across the country. Paper topics include cultural resources management archaeology, ground stone artifacts, Early Pre-Contact Period sites, GIS and remote sensing, archaeological methods of site detection, fur trade archaeology, and radiocarbon dating in the boreal forest.

Tags

The flood mountain research project : investigations at FlQs-35, an early prehistoric period site in the postglacial environment of the Upper Peace Region, Alberta

Description

The Flood Mountain Site (FlQs-35) was identified in 2016 during an Historic Resources Impact Assessment (HRIA) of a proposed forestry cut block. A projectile point was recovered with typological... More ≫

Description

The Flood Mountain Site (FlQs-35) was identified in 2016 during an Historic Resources Impact Assessment (HRIA) of a proposed forestry cut block. A projectile point was recovered with typological similarities to Early Prehistoric Period points referred to as “stubbies”. Buried in situ sites of this period are quite rare and consequently the Flood Mountain Research Project was proposed as a follow-up investigation of the site in 2017. This paper discusses the results of the research program as well as the palaeoenvironmental constraints during the Early Prehistoric Period in Alberta that would have influenced exploitation of the postglacial landscape. FlQs-35 reflects a short-term campsite occupied by people who exploited the highly dynamic postglacial environment of Alberta’s uplands during the Early Holocene.

Tags

Topographic setting of archaeological survey in the Boreal Forest of Alberta

Description

The archaeological record of the Canadian Boreal Forest is dominated by shallowly buried sites with little to no datable artifacts or stratigraphy. However, the factors that underlie this skew to... More ≫

Description

The archaeological record of the Canadian Boreal Forest is dominated by shallowly buried sites with little to no datable artifacts or stratigraphy. However, the factors that underlie this skew to shallow sites are rarely formally examined. Here we use a geomorphon-based terrain classification to assess the role of topographic setting in the placement of archaeological survey points. Our results show that there is considerable bias in current archaeological survey methods towards landforms that disperse sediment. This reduces the likelihood of finding deeply buried or stratified sites and calls into question the assertion that datable sites are largely absent from the region.

Tags

Using GIS and remote sensing to monitor industrial impacts to archaeological sites in the Athabasca Oil Sands of Alberta

Description

The Athabasca Oil Sands region of Alberta has one of the densest accumulations of known archaeological sites in the country. Until recently, there has been little quantitative evidence to assess... More ≫

Description

The Athabasca Oil Sands region of Alberta has one of the densest accumulations of known archaeological sites in the country. Until recently, there has been little quantitative evidence to assess human impact on archaeological resources in the region. The goal of this paper is to raise awareness of the critical need to incorporate new archaeological remote sensing strategies to improve site monitoring approaches. We present methods and results from our GIS-based analysis that seeks to locate and partially characterize impacted sites.

Tags

Findings and interpretations at GbQn-13, an Early Prehistoric Period site in Alberta’s west central Foothills

Description

In 2021, GbQn-13 was identified during a forestry assessment in Alberta’s west-central Foothills. The site contains both a projectile point base and obsidian flakes and can be placed within the... More ≫

Description

In 2021, GbQn-13 was identified during a forestry assessment in Alberta’s west-central Foothills. The site contains both a projectile point base and obsidian flakes and can be placed within the Cody Complex at the end of the Early Prehistoric Period based on morphological traits of the point base. This paper presents findings and interpretations from GbQn-13.

Tags