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Recent, renewed interest in the study of ancient indigenous NWC architecture has done much to augment our understanding of social, political, and economic relations in this region in the past. These studies have, by an d large, emphasized architectural form over the practice or process of construction. Yet in other regions of the world, scholars are increasingly examining construction techniques in order comprehend the kinds of decisions that individuals and groups made with respect to building. This paper examines architectural remains from a small Middle Period (ca. 3500-1500 BP) village site in Prince Rupert Harbour, British Columbia, with the explicit intent of shedding light on the kinds of structures that the Tsimshian built in the past and, in particular, the way in which small households constructed domestic dwellings. Results suggest that, in this case, walls were not mortised as they had been in the recent past. Rather, walls appear to have been constructed using a tying and sewing technique. I suggest that this household might have used tying and sewing for a variety of reasons that include household and community size, technology, mobility, and skill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public support of archaeology is required to have effective heritage legislation and the prevention of site vandalism and looting. One of the best ways for the public to understand the importance of archaeology and heritage conservation is through school-aged education. This paper examines the nature and extent to which archaeology is covered in Canadian public school curricula. To determine the extent of archaeological material in school curricula, Social Studies curricula from each province and territory are examined and critically evaluated. This analysis indicates that archaeology is not often taught in curricula, and when it is taught, lacks a Canadian focus. For further evaluation, these findings are compared to the guidelines developed by the Canadian Archaeological Association (CAA), to determine if its expectations for students' achievement in archaeology are appropriate and are being met. This research emphasizes the gap between CAA guidelines and Canadian curricula and pinpoints what is lacking in school-aged archaeological education in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hopedale region in Labrador, Canada has a rich history of human activity. Some of the earliest archaeological research on Inuit of this region was conducted by American archaeologist Junius Bird in 1935; however, few researchers have returned to the region to expand on his work. This paper provides a summary of recent excavations conducted at an eighteenth century Inuit sod house seulement Bird identified on Anniowaktook Island (GgCi-02) just east of Hopedale. The region was considered a central trading area among Inuit. Excavations were expected to identify items indicative of this trade with the increasing prevalence of European traders along the coast. Instead, artifact assemblages at Anniowaktook reveal a smaller than expected collection of trade items, and a surprisingly high density of metal materials. The types and quantity of materials amassed suggest Anniowaktook Inuit were making different consumption choices to acquire materials for tool manufacture which were not traditionally part of the trade system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canadian universities have played an important role in the founding and development of archaeological programs in lower Central America, especially with regard to the geocultural interface that exists at the southern periphery of Mesoamerica. These developments range from the establishment of basic culture history to more nuanced theoretical inquiries, particularly relating to concepts of social identity and ethnic affiliation. This paper presents a brief overview of the major contributions made by Canadian institutions and their affiliated researchers, with a focus on significant pioneering advances achieved in northeast Honduras, El Salvador, and Pacific Nicaragua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty years ago archaeologists called for a more anthropological perspective on the archaeological past; 25 years later a handful of archaeologists began the investigation of an engendered past. Due to the rich archaeological, ethnohistorical, and art historical evidence available for the study of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, this region has been the subject of numerous gender studies. Scholars from the University of Calgary have been at the forefront of this movement, beginning with the 1989 Chacmool conference, The Archaeology of Gender, the first international gathering on the subject. The theme was recently revisited with the Que(e) rying Archaeology conference. This paper outlines Canadian contributions to the field of Mesoamerican gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local governments are in a position to act as bridges between the publics they represent and the management of archaeological heritage. Since First Nations and municipal councillors in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, make decisions on behalf of their communities, we focus this paper on their perspectives of archaeology. We surveyed and interviewed local government representatives on seven themes relating to archaeological heritage: Knowledge, Interest and Exposure, Relevance, Value, Protection Issues, Management Responsibility, and Working Together. First Nations and municipal councillors' perspectives reveal areas of divergence on the relevance, protection, and management of archaeological heritage, and convergence on the values of archaeology and working together on heritage issues. Although local governments uniquely situate archaeology through distinct views, they can bridge this disconnect through dialogue on shared perspectives. We provide recommendations to encourage this process of communication between First Nations and municipal governments, and their publics, on the management of archaeological heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1975, a pictographic inscription attributable to Simon Fraser was discovered on Stuart Lake, British Columbia. Thereafter, two Parks Canada archaeologists photographed the inscription site. The visible remains were compelling, but there was no certainty in determining exactly what was recorded on the rock face. A recently developed software programme called DStretch, designed specifically to analyze digital images of rock art, was used to enhance the evidence. The analysis improved significantly the surviving details of the inscription. This paper discusses several lines of evidence for what might be an incidental but interesting addition to one of Canada's most famous fur trade era explorers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children were a significant part of all past populations, yet they are often overlooked in archaeological inquiry. The reasons for this absence involve both conceptual and practical obstacles: the transposition of present-day, Euro-American understandings of the child as dependent and incapable, and the difficulty of identifying clear archaeological signatures associated with children--particularly in prehistoric contexts. In this paper, I focus on the archaeology of the Northwest Coast region, finding only limited ethnographic accounts of children, and virtually no mention of them in the archaeological literature. After discussing the factors that contribute to the invisibility of children in archaeological interpretation in general, I argue that there is no justification for assuming children in the ancient Northwest Coast were non-productive. I present archaeological and ethnoar-chaeological research--from the Northwest Coast and other regions--that may point the way for future analyses of child life in the ancient Northwest Coast. In particular, foraging models and faunal analysis can be used to reflect the distinctive subsistence strategies of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inuit Elders from the West Coast of Hudson Bay, Canada remember the past to serve the present. This paper describes a mapping and oral history project that is gathering Elders' knowledge of the people, places, sites, and resources that populated their vast traditional territory. We discuss the Elders' conception of this work within the framework of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangiit (Inuit knowledge) and how these understandings are actively contributing to the form and direction of the project. We explore how the Elders' knowledge is used to inform and animate the archaeological findings of the project. These broader discussions are focused around an examination of the tentative links between an historic Inuit trader named Ullebuk (Ouligbuk) and archaeological features uncovered at a site located near Arviat, Nunavut. Finally, we discuss how the Elders' work is trained on the goal of serving their people, particularly the rapidly expanding population of Inuit youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When conducting lithic debitage analyses, archaeologists commonly draw study samples from larger assemblages rather than examining every single lake. However, the size of these samples and the methods used to draw them are variable. this paper examines how unsystematic sampling procedures used in debitage analysis can skew site interpretations. An alternative sampling strategy devised specifically for measuring debitage variability is proposed. to test its effectiveness, this strategy is applied to the sandy point (Lldv--10) debitage assemblage. results obtained from a 100 percent sample, a sample drawn using the proposed method, and a 20 percent disproportionate stratified random sample are compared. This comparison indicates a sample drawn using the proposed strategy yields results that are entirely consistent with those derived from studying the entire assemblage. Furthermore, it demonstrates that samples drawn using randomly selected percentages are frequently inadequate thus increasing the potential of yielding spurious results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]