Ian Sellers

This 3-week field and lab based course will introduce students to historical ecology from a coastal archaeological perspective. We will visit and examine archaeological data from a series of coastal archaeological sites in Nuu-chah-nulth territory in Barkley Sound. The majority of our time will be spent in the Treaty lands and traditional territory of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations where we will be conducting laboratory analysis of archaeological data collected from in the Broken Group Islands in the traditional territory of the Tseshaht First Nation. Students will attend lectures, labs, seminars, and fieldtrips introducing them to Indigenous history and the analytical potential of ecological data obtained from archaeological sites. We will conduct laboratory research in archaeology and work with existing zooarchaeological data (animal remains from archaeological sites) as part of independent student projects. These reports will be presented to the Huu-ay-aht, Tseshaht, and Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre as well as the Provincial and Federal Heritage Management agencies (BC Archaeology Branch and Parks Canada) upon completion of the course.

to apply for 2015 visit:
http://www.bms.bc.ca/university/courses2015/summer15.html
please note that the application deadline has been extended. Please be in touch with the University Programs Office to discuss the application process specifically
(250) 728-3301 ext. 216

Course Description:
In partnership with the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, this course introduces students to coastal field archaeology. Over six weeks, students participate in field trips to a variety of archaeological sites; attend lectures on indigenous history, archaeological theory, paleoenvironments, and the historical ecology of the west coast of Vancouver Island; and participate in 3 weeks of fieldwork. The remaining class time will be spent in the lab analyzing archaeological samples and completing individual final projects. Students are  also responsible for writing up aspects of the archaeological work in a detailed site report, which will be shared with the Huu-ay-aht First Nation and the provincial Archaeology Branch.

Research Skills:
Students will learn about the fundamentals of archaeological survey, recording, excavation, sampling, data analysis, and how to prepare written reports on their findings. We will work in groups to develop and address archaeological research questions and regularly share our observations with community members.

Prerequisites:
An introductory course in Anthropology and an introductory course in Archaeology, or permission of the Instructor.

Required Textbook:
Alan McMillan and Denis St.Claire 2012. Huu7ii: Household Archaeology at a Nuu-chah-nulth Village Site in Barkley Sound. Archaeology Press, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC. Please purchase prior to the start of class through SFU Archaeology Press:
http://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/archpress/catalogue/huu7ii.html

Additional readings will be provided by instructors during class.

We recommend the following for anyone interested in some archaeological background to the region: Since the Time of the Transformers: The Ancient Heritage of the Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht, and Makah by Alan McMillan, 1999, UBC Press, Vancouver, BC. available at
http://www.ubcpress.ca/search/title_book.asp?BookID=1666

Physical Requirements: Students must be comfortable in boats and with traversing rough, slippery, and forested terrain in all weather. They must also be able to lift, carry, and/or operate equipment weighing up to 20 lbs.

For More Information about the Bamfield Marine Science Centre, its courses and how to apply please visit:

http://www.bms.bc.ca/

for a peak at the course in 2013, please check out this great video by student Sara Daruvala 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXNiGJLgi58

Short-lived occupation sites are the most common component of the archaeological record at the regional scale level, but are often underrepresented due to their low amount of cultural material and greater visibility of larger sites. Small ephemeral sites can however provide unique information regarding land and resource use, travel routes, harvesting practices, group size, food processing, ceremonial activities and chronology of occupation, especially in pre-urban societies. One of the most prominent proxies for short-lived occupation is combustion features, defined as accumulations of ash, burnt bones, heat-altered sediments and stone tools. These features provide insights into behavioral evolution, food consumption, settlement patterns and foraging strategies, and the preservation of the archaeological record. To obtain this information, a microscopic level of investigation is required in order to address the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of combustion features. We deployed such kind of microarchaeological approach to the study of combustion features at the DjRr-4 rock shelter along the Indian River, British Columbia, settled by Coast Salish peoples at least 1300 years ago. Using a combination of micromorphology of sediments, phytolith and diatom analysis, paleobotany, zooarchaeology, lithic analysis and radiocarbon dating, we were able to show that the shelter was used intermittently over short time spans as a base camp for hunting, likely as a station along a trail that connected the coast to interior regions. Our results are consistent with chronological data for the region and with the adoption of bow and arrow by Coast Salish peoples.