Publications

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

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

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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 ≫

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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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The PaleoIndigenous component of the Ahai Mneh Site (FiPp-33), Lake Wabamun, Alberta

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This paper presents several years of field school research at Ahai Mneh in central Alberta, including spatial analytical methods to disentangle artifact distributions. We were able to identify a ... More ≫

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This paper presents several years of field school research at Ahai Mneh in central Alberta, including spatial analytical methods to disentangle artifact distributions. We were able to identify a deeper PaleoIndigenous Period component at the site, also present in surface collections from an adjacent cultivated field. Enigmatic and initially unprepossessing artifacts from Ahai Mneh actually have fascinating stories to tell if we are willing to delve into the microcosm of human decisions for which they still preserve traces. Examples include a failed effort at making a fluted point, an unusual Hell Gap-like point, a Scottsbluff point, and a fractured Alberta point base. While the results of such analyses involve inferences, they are much better than casual assumptions about associations, and point to the need for serious regulatory reform in requiring 3-D piece-plotting of artifacts.

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

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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 ... 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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The finer features of the Junction Site

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This paper reports on the success of three seasons of excavation at the Junction Site, where anomalies identified through the use of a magnetometer became focal points for the mitigative ... More ≫

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This paper reports on the success of three seasons of excavation at the Junction Site, where anomalies identified through the use of a magnetometer became focal points for the mitigative excavations completed. Here we assess the utility of this technique in identifying buried features and further describe the many different features exposed. Our discussion concludes with an analysis of results and identification of the salient characteristics that distinguish the different functions of the features identified.

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

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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 ≫

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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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Reconciling local, global, and Indigenous values : a history of the Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi World Heritage inscription

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The inscription of Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi on the World Heritage List in 2019 was the culmination of a fifteen-year long nomination process. The nomination recognized the international ... More ≫

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The inscription of Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi on the World Heritage List in 2019 was the culmination of a fifteen-year long nomination process. The nomination recognized the international significance of this Blackfoot cultural landscape, but the process also exposed tensions between local, global, and Indigenous values. Consultation with Blackfoot and local settler communities during the National Historic Site of Canada commemoration that preceded the World Heritage site nomination indicated broad support for inscription of Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi. However, engagement with local settler communities during the World Heritage site nomination process led to multiple iterations of the submission, as the nomination team attempted to balance the original Blackfoot vision of a cultural landscape that extended beyond Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi against local community concerns with the nominated property boundaries and buffer zone. Integrating recent settler history within the...

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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 ≫

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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 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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The 2021 excavations at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, UNESCO World Heritage Site : taking Jack Brink’s excavations to a new level

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Throughout 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 ... More ≫

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Throughout 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.

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

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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 ≫

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

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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 ≫

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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

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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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Dispositions (Ministerial) Regulation

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Establishes processes for the Minister to dispose of archaeological and palaeontological resources through custody certificates, exchange, sale, gift or lease. Deals with disposition of ammonite ... More ≫

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Establishes processes for the Minister to dispose of archaeological and palaeontological resources through custody certificates, exchange, sale, gift or lease. Deals with disposition of ammonite shells.

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Bow River maximum allowable load, source identification and assessment of total phosphorus

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In this study, all existing sources including point sources, non-point sources and background sources, that are contributing phosphorus to the Bow River from headwater to Bow Mouth were ... More ≫

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In this study, all existing sources including point sources, non-point sources and background sources, that are contributing phosphorus to the Bow River from headwater to Bow Mouth were identified, assessed and compared for their spatial and seasonal contributions based on best available data. Source identification and quantification provide fundamental information to the next step, Maximum Allowable Load determination.

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Archaeology in western Canada’s boreal forest, 2021

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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 ≫

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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.

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

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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 ≫

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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...

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

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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 ≫

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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.

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State of current knowledge on survey methods to monitor Alberta’s feral horse populations

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This information sheet describes the advantages and disadvantages of minimum count surveys and distance sampling as the two methods used to determine feral horse populations in Alberta. One of ... More ≫

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This information sheet describes the advantages and disadvantages of minimum count surveys and distance sampling as the two methods used to determine feral horse populations in Alberta. One of five current-knowledge documents summarizing the state of information related to feral horse populations in Alberta. The documents were created by the Office of the Chief Scientist at the request of the Feral Horse Advisory Committee. The Office of the Chief Scientist provides independent scientific advice to address complex environmental challenges and opportunities Alberta faces.

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State of current knowledge on feral horse population dynamics and Alberta population trends

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This information sheet provides an overview of the origin of horses in Alberta, factors affecting feral horse population dynamics and a summary of Alberta Environment and Protected Areas' minimum ... More ≫

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This information sheet provides an overview of the origin of horses in Alberta, factors affecting feral horse population dynamics and a summary of Alberta Environment and Protected Areas' minimum count survey results between 2013 and 2021. One of five current-knowledge documents summarizing the state of information related to feral horse populations in Alberta. The documents were created by the Office of the Chief Scientist at the request of the Feral Horse Advisory Committee. The Office of the Chief Scientist provides independent scientific advice to address complex environmental challenges and opportunities Alberta faces.

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