https://open.alberta.ca/feeds/custom.atom?topic=Arts%2C+Culture+and+History&audience=ResearchersOpen Government - Custom query2024-03-28T20:07:22.321544+00:00Alberta Open Governmentpython-feedgenRecently created or updated datasets on Open Government. Custom query: 'culture and tourism'https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/3307aab1-b17d-4ba0-90f4-90e671df3c15Early cultures of the Clearwater River area : northeastern Alberta2023-10-30T21:20:39.681954+00:00In this monograph the culture history of the Clearwater River Drainage Basin Area is examined. Drawing upon archaeological materials gathered during fieldwork involving basic survey and test excavations on three archaeological sites, along with supporting data from ethnohistorical sources and the work of other researchers, an attempt has been made to delineate a complex cultural-chronological sequence extending from the historic era back to circa 8,000 B.C.2017-02-27T22:14:52.440431+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/63d3435f-b25d-444b-83be-9450e1627f3cPrehistoric survey of the lower Red Deer River, 19752023-10-30T22:25:23.641951+00:00Presents results of a three-month survey made during the summer of 1975 to trace a section of the river, to inventory sites, and to outline the prehistoric character of the region.2017-02-27T22:25:59.613192+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/87d27ad2-c48d-44dc-aa24-5471a7d8339aStories from Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump : an interview with Boyd Wettlaufer2023-11-22T21:23:59.903500+00:00Boyd 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.2023-11-22T16:23:22.111004+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/16612edd-ae18-4795-817d-3e7a8ea56326The recovery for display of a 1,600-year-old roasting pit feature from Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump2023-11-22T21:24:14.084927+00:00Dozens 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.2023-11-22T16:47:27.494662+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/404761c1-a026-4db0-987c-24b0cceddb89The 2021 excavations at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, UNESCO World Heritage Site : taking Jack Brink’s excavations to a new level2023-11-22T21:24:30.956354+00:00Throughout the 1980s, Jack Brink conducted excavations on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of Alberta at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and developed an extensive understanding of how bison that were hunted at the jump were transformed into food and supplies. A joint team from the University of Lethbridge and the Royal Alberta Museum returned to the site in 2021 with the express goal of digging beneath where Jack had stopped and unearthing the earliest stages of use. While the materials we discovered were minimal, the results were stunning, revealing that activities have been occurring at the site for more than 8500 years. The results of the 2021 excavations are presented as a tribute to Jack’s contributions to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.2023-11-22T16:05:47.504356+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/908b9de1-0ff4-46bb-ad8b-504a127bac27An unusual Avonlea pit at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump2023-11-22T21:24:55.562873+00:00At 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.2023-11-22T17:22:36.340081+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/a9864a51-c42d-444f-b913-eee41b01d743Microbotanical remains, residues, and usewear : other views of Head- Smashed-In Buffalo Jump2023-11-22T21:25:06.950018+00:00Head-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 plants2023-11-22T16:38:19.792314+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/4d3af6ec-ca8d-433e-972f-c85f2753964eRadiocarbon dates in Alberta’s northern forests and potential for inferring changes in ancient Indigenous populations2023-11-22T21:25:18.126828+00:00Assemblages 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 until European contact. We acknowledge that Indigenous populations were heavily impacted as a direct result of European colonization during the Historic Period.2023-10-16T15:07:04.815591+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/e0d7fdea-0ad1-4249-a2e0-785c64878c18Fifty years of fur trade archaeology in northern Alberta forests : what have we accomplished?2023-11-22T21:25:30.124900+00:00This 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. 2023-10-16T14:52:35.264455+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/51890f05-5f7b-42f4-a632-7a5c67365afaArchaeology in western Canada’s boreal forest, 20212023-11-22T21:25:44.024362+00:00This 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.2023-10-16T15:27:20.783273+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/16f7bbbd-e5ca-4d93-8a49-c1184bd40e6fUsing GIS and remote sensing to monitor industrial impacts to archaeological sites in the Athabasca Oil Sands of Alberta2023-11-22T21:27:01.137799+00:00The 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. 2022-12-07T17:29:12.460315+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/0473b117-be7a-46c1-beea-84c9b1403d51The flood mountain research project : investigations at FlQs-35, an early prehistoric period site in the postglacial environment of the Upper Peace Region, Alberta2023-11-22T21:27:17.318775+00:00The 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.2022-12-07T16:55:19.784085+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/d663affa-8b5f-4490-97d2-863bce84fb1bTopographic setting of archaeological survey in the Boreal Forest of Alberta2023-11-22T21:27:33.065527+00:00The 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. 2022-12-07T17:39:17.387353+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/39be4cdd-ccbc-4185-90b7-34a0c047f152Findings and interpretations at GbQn-13, an Early Prehistoric Period site in Alberta’s west central Foothills2023-11-22T21:27:45.883193+00:00In 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-13.2022-05-26T21:50:07.942983+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/53cc638a-8b4c-4c61-9994-cf95388a6feaThe Wapiti Site (GfQu-30) : an Alberta clovis site in the bottleneck region of the ice-free corridor2023-11-22T21:28:12.582108+00:00A cultural resource management survey conducted along the Wapiti River southwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta led to the identification of the Wapiti site (GfQu-30). Mitigative excavation of the site resulted in the recovery of a complete Clovis projectile point. This article describes the Wapiti Site, its context, and the corresponding implications for the inhabitability and peopling of the bottleneck region of the ice-free corridor during the Clovis complex.2022-05-26T22:04:12.031422+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/8a1ccc3f-e784-411b-8f91-fb07d31d7931Forestry and archaeology in Alberta : a history and synthesis2023-11-22T21:28:34.322477+00:00This paper presents the origins of cultural resource management in Alberta’s forestry sector and synthesizes key statistics since implementation in 2003. Over 4,600 archaeological sites have been recorded in the province during historic resources impact assessments of harvest blocks and forestry roads with an average of 246 new sites per year. The paper summarizes annual records of sites detected, the number and percentage of forestry developments subjected to fieldwork, site size, and shovel test intensity. The goals are to document trends and explain the value of forestry compliance for heritage protection in Alberta.2022-04-14T15:59:25.447171+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/568d653f-853f-4aa0-ba2d-b15ec68f9a41Dated ground stone artifacts from Tse’K’wa (HbRf-39), Peace River region, British Columbia2023-11-22T21:28:53.456290+00:00Artifacts made from ground sandstone were recovered from Tse’K’wa (HbRf-39) in the Peace River region of northeastern British Columbia. Two formal types are described: handstones and beveled-edge artifacts. The specimens are dated by stratigraphic position and radiocarbon from 6000 cal BP to recent times. Scans with an optical profilometer of possibly worked surfaces show that they are significantly smoother than unworked sandstone from the local bedrock formation. The shape of the artifacts also supports their identification as deliberately formed artifacts. This paper suggests that these are tools related to preparation of hides.2022-04-14T17:07:58.154492+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/67fc479e-9a6e-4fea-9077-7bc822e339c7Archaeological discoveries and syntheses in Western Canada, 20202023-11-22T21:29:16.026478+00:00This 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). 2021-07-28T20:22:32.432146+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/95bb731e-9f85-45c0-9ea6-73f90783ab47The archaeological remains from a surface collection, Fort Vermilion, Alberta2023-11-22T21:29:39.381511+00:00This 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.2021-07-28T19:59:05.960377+00:00https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/4b826e60-cda3-4b0d-b6b8-e6d44225a2f0A personal perspective on microblade and microblade core variability in northeast Asia and northwest North America2023-11-22T21:29:55.222324+00:00Contrary 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.2021-06-22T22:24:24.994356+00:00