On the trail of Indigenous peoples in Outaouais

A team of a dozen students from the Department of Anthropology at Université de Montréal dug up thousands of artifacts at the annual archaeological field school. This year, they headed to Leamy Lake Park to explore an Indigenous site on traditional Anishinaabe territory. They were supervised by professor Christian Gates St-Pierre, the field school's director for the past six years.

The dig was part of a new collaborative research effort launched this year with the Anishinaabe community of Kitigan Zibi, the Indigenous archaeological field school Anishinàbe Odjìbikan, the Canadian Museum of History, the National Capital Commission (NCC) and researchers from universities in Quebec and the U.S.

A crash course in archaeological excavation

From May 26 to June 22, ten undergraduates and two Master's students explored a site the Anishinabeg call Kabeshinàn along with archaeologists from the NCC and Anishinàbe Odjìbikan. The site is believed to have been occupied by First Nations for over three millennia.

Accompanied by two assistants and Gates St-Pierre, the students spent Monday to Saturday working at the site and learning the basics of archaeological excavation. They explored methods and techniques, and learned about artifact collection maintenance, data gathering, stratigraphic records on graph paper and topographic survey maps.

"Our digs uncovered thousands of artifacts and other traces of Indigenous occupation, such as ancient hearths and campfires," explained Gates St-Pierre. "Because the site is situated at the confluence of two major transportation routes, the Gatineau and Ottawa rivers, it was an important meeting place for First Nations."

Intercultural exchange

Supported by a five-year Insight Grant from Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the archaeological field school was also an opportunity for the UdeM students to introduce young Anishinabeg to the excavation methods and techniques used in archaeological field research in order to help train the next generation of archaeologists and build research capacity in Indigenous communities.

"The field school is a collaborative initiative with local that involves sharing and complementing each other's data, knowledge and know-how," said Gates St-Pierre. "It's an opportunity for dialogue, awareness-raising and intercultural collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people that is creating a more complete and respectful understanding of this First Nation's history."

• In addition to the often intense heat, heavy rains make work in the field more complicated.

  Credit: Christian Gates St-Pierre

• Rain is one of the hazards during archaeological excavations.

  Credit: Christian Gates St-Pierre

• Despite the rain and mud, undergraduate anthropology student Charlotte Vaillancourt keeps smiling!

  Credit: Christian Gates St-Pierre