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Archaeological discoveries and syntheses in Western Canada, 2020

Description

This volume presents a series of archaeological papers that summarize diverse topics including rock art in southern Alberta, atlatl weights in Saskatchewan, microblade technology in northwest... More ≫

Description

This volume presents a series of archaeological papers that summarize diverse topics including rock art in southern Alberta, atlatl weights in Saskatchewan, microblade technology in northwest North America, Napi effigies on the Northern Plains, a material called porcellanite used to make stone tools in Alberta, and a surface collection of artifacts from northern Alberta (the Gull Lake site).

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The archaeological remains from a surface collection, Fort Vermilion, Alberta

Description

This paper describes a surface collection from the Gull Lake site near Fort Vermilion in northern Alberta. The site yielded an assortment of tools, including a complete microblade core, several... More ≫

Description

This paper describes a surface collection from the Gull Lake site near Fort Vermilion in northern Alberta. The site yielded an assortment of tools, including a complete microblade core, several diagnostic projectile points made from a variety of lithic raw materials (including one specimen resembling Angostura Paleoindian points). We hypothesize that the Gull Lake site represents one of several areas in the northern Alberta Boreal Borest that were prairies purposely maintained by First Nations peoples to attract large game animals such as woodland bison. Once these and other large animals were depleted after contact, First Nations peoples no longer used the site in favor of other still productive game animal areas in northern Alberta.

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Porcellanite in Alberta : a pyrometamorphic pre-contact toolstone

Description

Porcellanite is a pyrometamorphic rock that forms when naturally ignited coal seams fuse fine-grained sedimentary rocks. This can produce a uniform material suitable for making stone tools. This... More ≫

Description

Porcellanite is a pyrometamorphic rock that forms when naturally ignited coal seams fuse fine-grained sedimentary rocks. This can produce a uniform material suitable for making stone tools. This paper presents photographs and geochemical analyses of Montana and North Dakota porcellanites in comparison to high quality pyrometamorphic rocks, and Alberta materials of similar origin or appearance. Results of portable X-ray fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, and thin section analyses are combined with micro/macroscopic traits to aid identification.

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A personal perspective on microblade and microblade core variability in northeast Asia and northwest North America

Description

Contrary to the prevailing belief that microblade production was a complicated process that involved indirect percussion or assisted pressure and holding devices, a simple free-hand pressure... More ≫

Description

Contrary to the prevailing belief that microblade production was a complicated process that involved indirect percussion or assisted pressure and holding devices, a simple free-hand pressure technique can easily replicate examples comparable to those recovered from pre-contact sites. This paper argues that such a technique prevailed in the past, and that many of the variations in formal and metric attributes of archaeological microblade cores and microblades are the result of a wide range of environmental, behavioural, and functional variables rather than of completely different methods of manufacture.

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Anthropomorphic Napi effigies on the northwestern plains : a petroform record of Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot) belief

Description

Anthropomorphic Napi effigies are petroforms (boulder outlines) of a static, frontal, male figure with a simple head, rectangular body, upraised arms, heart-line (lifeline), simple-extension legs... More ≫

Description

Anthropomorphic Napi effigies are petroforms (boulder outlines) of a static, frontal, male figure with a simple head, rectangular body, upraised arms, heart-line (lifeline), simple-extension legs with out-turned feet and male genitalia. These petroforms have been called ‘Napi’ effigies owing to evidence linking them to the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot) entity. This paper presents a larger sample of distinct anthropomorphic effigies (n=22) to further assess their style and distribution. A stronger case is made for linking the distinct anthropomorphic effigies to the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot).

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The atlatl weights of Saskatchewan

Description

This article describes and classifies seventy-two atlatl weights found in Saskatchewan, almost all from fields under cultivation in the grassland and aspen parkland. The article presents metric... More ≫

Description

This article describes and classifies seventy-two atlatl weights found in Saskatchewan, almost all from fields under cultivation in the grassland and aspen parkland. The article presents metric attributes and illustrations of the weights in each class in order to further the understanding of this little documented group of artifacts by making available representative specimens from known locations within a defined geographical boundary.

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The rock art of the Williams Coulee site, EcPl-16, southwestern Alberta

Description

Description Provide a brief description of the contents of the resource (1 to 5 sentences recommended). The Williams Coulee site (EcPl-16), in southwestern Alberta, is an important and strikingly... More ≫

Description

Description Provide a brief description of the contents of the resource (1 to 5 sentences recommended). The Williams Coulee site (EcPl-16), in southwestern Alberta, is an important and strikingly visual rock art site. This article describes the rock art and offers interpretations of narrative scenes. Outside of the Writing-on-Stone region, Williams Coulee offers some of the most complete and most complex narrative scenes that are typical of Plains Biographical tradition art, but also features scenes with static anthropomorphs that bespeak of the Plains Ceremonial tradition.

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Advancing archaeology : industry and practice in Alberta, 2019

Description

The Archaeological Survey of Alberta Occasional Paper series was established in 1976 as a means of disseminating information to archaeologists, historians, and members of the public in Alberta.... More ≫

Description

The Archaeological Survey of Alberta Occasional Paper series was established in 1976 as a means of disseminating information to archaeologists, historians, and members of the public in Alberta. The series is comprised mainly of annual review volumes that detail select projects carried out within the province and across Western Canada. This issue (No. 39) is devoted to advancing archaeological practice in cultural resource management and research.

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Advancing archaeology : industry and practice in Alberta, 2019. Dedication : Terrance (Terry) H. Gibson

Description

This tribute article is a dedication to an influential archaeologist in Alberta – Terry Gibson. The article introduces the 39th issue of the Occasional Paper Series, which is dedicated to Terry Gibson. More ≫

Description

This tribute article is a dedication to an influential archaeologist in Alberta – Terry Gibson. The article introduces the 39th issue of the Occasional Paper Series, which is dedicated to Terry Gibson.

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