Taking on Looting: Pursuing Sustainable Site Protection Policies in Southern Ontario

Centuries of looting has repeatedly unearthed the archaeological remains of First Nations middens, villages, and cemeteries. This paper presents a case for new measures to curtail these illicit practices in Ontario. Over the last decade, many archaeologists have espoused a program of sustainable archaeology. I suggest protections of in situ contexts against looting will further the objectives of sustainable archaeology and contribute to this broader trajectory of practice in the province. Using the history of looting and archaeological conditions at Neutral Iroquoian (Attawandaron) sites, along with information from modern collectors, the paper reveals the persistent threat of looting and the necessity for action. I suggest the province, municipalities, and archaeological stakeholders deploy policies aimed at preserving these resources into the future. I advocate for a stewardship of personal and collective responsibility among property owners and hobbyists through educational initiatives, legal easement agreements, and existing legislative mandates to serve as a pragmatic step towards the long-term sustainable protection of these sites.

Situating Copper Crescents

This report considers copper crescent-shaped objects from Ontario, contextualizing them within broader archaeological discussions of the Old Copper Complex. I focus on a small assemblage of antiquarian-collected crescents from the Royal Ontario Museum. A literature review comprises the bulk of this report; crescents recovered from sites located in the center of the Old Copper Complex, in current-day Wisconsin and Michigan, help to situate examples in the antiquarian collection. I discuss crescents in terms of their chronological and geographic breadth, their formal variation, and the different depositional contexts in which they are found. Three examples from the antiquarian collection represent novel forms of copper crescent that are not represented in the accepted typology. Two of these, collected approximately 1,600 km apart from one another, closely resemble stone and copper ulu knives, each with a unique copper handle that once bore a haft. By situating this particular collection within broader discussions of native copper, this report demonstrates the continued importance of thinking through poorly-contextualized archaeological collections while remembering the limitations of rigid, typological thinking.

Canadians and the Founding of the Society for American Archaeology (1934–1940s)

In December of 1934 the Society for American Archaeology was officially constituted. In 1935, in an effort to grow the membership, professional archaeologists were asked to propose members who they endorsed to become affiliated with the SAA. The two professional archaeologists in Canada at that time, Diamond Jenness and William J. Wintemberg of the Dominion Museum, Ottawa, proposed names of individuals across Canada who were collectors, museum curators, and historians. A small number suggested for membership joined, but most did not. This was an interesting period in North American archaeology as professionals worked in committees to establish cultural and temporal frameworks of the archaeological past, establish excavation guidelines, and lobby against the sale of antiquities. Some Canadian avocationals who joined were positively impacted by their association with American archaeologists and their legacies continue through to today. The bottom line is that there were very few professional archaeologists in Canada following Wintemberg’s death in 1941, and that lack coupled with WWII, meant that Canadians looking for professional support and guidance looked to the south of the border. The Society for American Archaeology was important for the growth and development of Canadian archaeology during this time.

Monterey Shells and Trade Copper: A Glimpse into the Early Contact Period from a Nuu-Chah-Nulth Outer-Coast Lookout Site

The Nuu-chah-nulth of western Vancouver Island used lookout sites on small outer-coast islands to observe the movements of sea mammals and canoes, and later the trading ships arriving with cargoes of new goods. A trench excavated across the upper surface of one such site yielded an artifact assemblage typical of late Nuu-chah-nulth sites, along with radiocarbon dates indicating use over the few centuries prior to contact with Europeans. Three artifacts of introduced materials reveal that this location continued in use into the early decades of contact. Copper and California abalone shells (“Monterey shells”) were two of the earliest and most important trade materials during the maritime fur trade. Indigenous demand was for the raw material, which was re-worked into decorative items of traditional form. The excavation results provide a rare glimpse into this early contact period, with no admixture of later manufactured objects. Ethnohistoric and ethnographic sources provide context to interpret these discoveries.