The Loss of Material and Documentary Heritage to Fire   On September 2, 2018, a significant repository of human history was erased when Brazil’s Museu Nacional (National Museum) was destroyed by fire. What made this event particularly tragic is that the building was one of the largest museums in South America and early estimates suggest over 90% of its collections were lost. As staggering as this single loss is, history shows that this is an all too familiar event as the destruction of documentary and material heritage to fire is not uncommon. Documentary (paper) records are particularly susceptible to fire. It should be unsurprising that large quantities of paper necessarily stored in dry environments are persistent accidental fire hazards. The Library of Alexandria (Source: Wikimedia Commons no alteration Additionally and…

Rural Historical Farmsteads in Ontario George Bland Farmstead (Photo Credit: D.R. Poulton) “Why Do I have to Dig up Grandma’s Broken Plates?!” While there is general acceptance of the need for archaeology on Indigenous sites, archaeologists often face tough scrutiny when further work is required for the archaeological remains of rural historic farmsteads dating from the mid-19th to early-20th centuries. To archaeologists, the value of farmstead archaeology is self-evident, but most non-archaeologists need an explanation of what valuable information grandma’s broken plates have to offer.  Often clients will ask “Who cares about Grandma’s broken dishes?” Rural farmsteads differ from other sites as they: 1) are only a couple centuries old; 2) often have standing structures and available historical records; and 3) are thought to be ubiquitous. The easy answer for…

Site Leads in Ontario: Underutilized but Important Resources for Identifying Site Locations Site Leads in Ontario: Underutilized but Important Resources for Identifying Site Locations Information from landowners and local residents about the possible location of an archaeological site has long been an important resource for archaeologists.  “Site leads,” or hearsay accounts of site locations deriving from local knowledge, often translate into the discovery of previously unrecorded archaeological sites.  The early explorers of archaeological sites in the province often used site leads to find some of the most important Indigenous archaeological sites in Ontario, many of which were recorded in the early-20th century issues of the Annual Archaeological Report for Ontario (AARO).  In addition to archaeological sites, site leads were sporadically published in the AARO.  These early accounts are important today…

Overlapping Indigenous Interests in Cultural Heritage and Land Use Planning Government of Canada map identifying First Nations communities in Ontario Overlapping Indigenous Interests in Cultural Heritage and Land Use Planning In Ontario today, it is rare that an archaeological assessment involves engagement with only one Indigenous community.  Often there are multiple communities who express an interest in the cultural heritage for a particular development.  Responding to the diverse range of expectations and perspectives of Indigenous communities has become one of the most significant challenges faced by those managing cultural heritage in Ontario’s land use planning. Indigenous community land relationships are encompassed within what are generally referred to as their traditional territories. Usually larger than legally-defined Treaty territories, traditional territories represent the breadth of an Indigenous community’s geographic interest. Some might…

Indigenous Archaeological Monitors, Liaison Officers and Field Liaison Representatives in Ontario Cultural Resource Management Archaeology