I n the summer of 2012 students from Northwest Community College (NWCC), in partnership with Cros... more I n the summer of 2012 students from Northwest Community College (NWCC), in partnership with Crossroads Cultural Resource Management, participated in a cultural resource management (CRM) field school that focused on the management of both tangible and intangible resources within North Central B.C.. Several local cultural and archaeological sites were visited over the course of this three-week field school. Most importantly, students gained invaluable experience from several high profile past and current Crossroads CRM projects. In Hagwilget Canyon, located near Hazelton, B.C., community members gave a tour of the old village site. There are two designated archaeological sites in Hagwilget Canyon and dozens more in the area. In 2011 a high profile archaeological excavation took place in a burial ground (which had been disturbed by industrial development in 2006). Students froin that year 's field school had the opportunity to participate in the excavation and gain valuable work e...
The indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest have consistently maintained that proof of th... more The indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest have consistently maintained that proof of their long occupation in their traditional ethnographic territories is embedded in their oral traditions. These oral accounts are the primary methods for recording indigenous epistemology and history. From a native perspective, historical references contained within oral traditions are considered factual. However, the wes tern scientific community has not been as accepting of oral traditions, as actual accounts of the past. Geologists, archaeologists and physical anthropologists tend to revert to western science when reconstructing the past. Native groups claim that information within their oral traditions is historically accurate. Therefore, one may presume that a comparison between oral traditions and scientifically known prehistoric and historic events would lead to similar interpretations. Past catastrophic environm ental events (such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, floods, etc) with discrete, recognizable attributes, may serve as benchmarks for comparison to prehistoric references contained within oral traditions. For the most part, geologists have provided us with a specific range of dates and magnitudes for such events. In addition, such events, even of considerable age, would likely have been significant enough for a lasting record to be maintained by the indigenous population(s) in their oral traditions. This study examines the relationships between the following three specific catastrophic paleoenvironmental events and native oral traditions that apparently refer to them: (1) the Mount Mazama climactic (or ‘caldera-forming’) eruption, 6850 b.p.; (2) the Bonneville/Cascade landslide, 900-400 b.p.; and (3) the megathrust earthquake related tsunami, 300 b.p.. The historical literature pertaining to indigenous groups (specific to each event) was reviewed for oral traditions that may refer to the event in question. Through the use of qualitative tables, relationships between the geological and archaeological evidence and the event depicted in the oral tradition are shown to exist. Moreover, a ‘qualitative measure’ is employed in a descriptive fashion, where a distinction is made between clear relationships and less obvious ones. Perhaps such an evaluation of a portion of the indigenous perspective within a western scientific framework may serve as a foundation for further work in this area. Eventually, a combination of the two perspectives may yield a richer, more holistic view of the past.
Published in A Deeper Sense of Place: Stories and Journeys of Collaboration in Indigenous Researc... more Published in A Deeper Sense of Place: Stories and Journeys of Collaboration in Indigenous Research, 2013 This article demonstrates how research experiences in indigenous community settings can highlight the shortcomings of governing research paradigms and contribute to the development of alternative approaches that seek to reconcile cultural resource management practices with an indigenous sense of place.
The Wet’suwet’en are currently struggling to affirm their Aboriginal and territorial rights throu... more The Wet’suwet’en are currently struggling to affirm their Aboriginal and territorial rights through the British Columbia treaty process. While this process continues, resource extraction activities remove large volumes of culturally important resources. At present, very few areas of the their territory have not been impacted by logging or mining development. Understandably, the Wet’suwet’en feel a sense of urgency regarding the conservation and protection of their natural and cultural resources. This paper examines how the Wet’suwet’en adapted the existing archaeological process within the resource management industry to better reflect their vision and cultural values. The creation of non-legislated policy and protocol agreements with various industry and government entities, combined with the Wet’suwet’en Territorial Stewardship Plan (WTSP), has allowed this First Nation to centrally position themselves in the archaeological process, which did not adequately address their needs. The primary result has been greater Wet’suwet’en involvement in decisions made regarding the mana- gement of their cultural resources.
I n the summer of 2012 students from Northwest Community College (NWCC), in partnership with Cros... more I n the summer of 2012 students from Northwest Community College (NWCC), in partnership with Crossroads Cultural Resource Management, participated in a cultural resource management (CRM) field school that focused on the management of both tangible and intangible resources within North Central B.C.. Several local cultural and archaeological sites were visited over the course of this three-week field school. Most importantly, students gained invaluable experience from several high profile past and current Crossroads CRM projects. In Hagwilget Canyon, located near Hazelton, B.C., community members gave a tour of the old village site. There are two designated archaeological sites in Hagwilget Canyon and dozens more in the area. In 2011 a high profile archaeological excavation took place in a burial ground (which had been disturbed by industrial development in 2006). Students froin that year 's field school had the opportunity to participate in the excavation and gain valuable work e...
The indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest have consistently maintained that proof of th... more The indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest have consistently maintained that proof of their long occupation in their traditional ethnographic territories is embedded in their oral traditions. These oral accounts are the primary methods for recording indigenous epistemology and history. From a native perspective, historical references contained within oral traditions are considered factual. However, the wes tern scientific community has not been as accepting of oral traditions, as actual accounts of the past. Geologists, archaeologists and physical anthropologists tend to revert to western science when reconstructing the past. Native groups claim that information within their oral traditions is historically accurate. Therefore, one may presume that a comparison between oral traditions and scientifically known prehistoric and historic events would lead to similar interpretations. Past catastrophic environm ental events (such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, floods, etc) with discrete, recognizable attributes, may serve as benchmarks for comparison to prehistoric references contained within oral traditions. For the most part, geologists have provided us with a specific range of dates and magnitudes for such events. In addition, such events, even of considerable age, would likely have been significant enough for a lasting record to be maintained by the indigenous population(s) in their oral traditions. This study examines the relationships between the following three specific catastrophic paleoenvironmental events and native oral traditions that apparently refer to them: (1) the Mount Mazama climactic (or ‘caldera-forming’) eruption, 6850 b.p.; (2) the Bonneville/Cascade landslide, 900-400 b.p.; and (3) the megathrust earthquake related tsunami, 300 b.p.. The historical literature pertaining to indigenous groups (specific to each event) was reviewed for oral traditions that may refer to the event in question. Through the use of qualitative tables, relationships between the geological and archaeological evidence and the event depicted in the oral tradition are shown to exist. Moreover, a ‘qualitative measure’ is employed in a descriptive fashion, where a distinction is made between clear relationships and less obvious ones. Perhaps such an evaluation of a portion of the indigenous perspective within a western scientific framework may serve as a foundation for further work in this area. Eventually, a combination of the two perspectives may yield a richer, more holistic view of the past.
Published in A Deeper Sense of Place: Stories and Journeys of Collaboration in Indigenous Researc... more Published in A Deeper Sense of Place: Stories and Journeys of Collaboration in Indigenous Research, 2013 This article demonstrates how research experiences in indigenous community settings can highlight the shortcomings of governing research paradigms and contribute to the development of alternative approaches that seek to reconcile cultural resource management practices with an indigenous sense of place.
The Wet’suwet’en are currently struggling to affirm their Aboriginal and territorial rights throu... more The Wet’suwet’en are currently struggling to affirm their Aboriginal and territorial rights through the British Columbia treaty process. While this process continues, resource extraction activities remove large volumes of culturally important resources. At present, very few areas of the their territory have not been impacted by logging or mining development. Understandably, the Wet’suwet’en feel a sense of urgency regarding the conservation and protection of their natural and cultural resources. This paper examines how the Wet’suwet’en adapted the existing archaeological process within the resource management industry to better reflect their vision and cultural values. The creation of non-legislated policy and protocol agreements with various industry and government entities, combined with the Wet’suwet’en Territorial Stewardship Plan (WTSP), has allowed this First Nation to centrally position themselves in the archaeological process, which did not adequately address their needs. The primary result has been greater Wet’suwet’en involvement in decisions made regarding the mana- gement of their cultural resources.
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Papers by Rick Budhwa
Native groups claim that information within their oral traditions is historically accurate. Therefore, one may presume that a comparison between oral traditions and scientifically known prehistoric and historic events would lead to similar interpretations. Past catastrophic
environm ental events (such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, floods, etc) with discrete, recognizable attributes, may serve as benchmarks for comparison to prehistoric references contained within oral traditions. For the most part, geologists have provided us with a specific range of dates and magnitudes for such events. In addition, such events, even of considerable age, would likely have been significant enough for a lasting record to be maintained by the indigenous population(s) in their oral traditions.
This study examines the relationships between the following three specific catastrophic paleoenvironmental events and native oral traditions that apparently refer to them: (1) the Mount Mazama climactic (or ‘caldera-forming’) eruption, 6850 b.p.; (2) the Bonneville/Cascade landslide, 900-400 b.p.; and (3) the megathrust earthquake related tsunami, 300 b.p.. The historical literature pertaining to indigenous groups (specific to each event) was reviewed for oral traditions that may refer to the event in question. Through the use of qualitative tables, relationships between the geological and archaeological evidence and the event depicted in the oral tradition are shown to exist. Moreover, a ‘qualitative measure’ is employed in a descriptive fashion, where a distinction is made between clear relationships and less obvious ones.
Perhaps such an evaluation of a portion of the indigenous perspective within a western scientific framework may serve as a foundation for further work in this area. Eventually, a combination of the two perspectives may yield a richer, more holistic view of the past.
Native groups claim that information within their oral traditions is historically accurate. Therefore, one may presume that a comparison between oral traditions and scientifically known prehistoric and historic events would lead to similar interpretations. Past catastrophic
environm ental events (such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, floods, etc) with discrete, recognizable attributes, may serve as benchmarks for comparison to prehistoric references contained within oral traditions. For the most part, geologists have provided us with a specific range of dates and magnitudes for such events. In addition, such events, even of considerable age, would likely have been significant enough for a lasting record to be maintained by the indigenous population(s) in their oral traditions.
This study examines the relationships between the following three specific catastrophic paleoenvironmental events and native oral traditions that apparently refer to them: (1) the Mount Mazama climactic (or ‘caldera-forming’) eruption, 6850 b.p.; (2) the Bonneville/Cascade landslide, 900-400 b.p.; and (3) the megathrust earthquake related tsunami, 300 b.p.. The historical literature pertaining to indigenous groups (specific to each event) was reviewed for oral traditions that may refer to the event in question. Through the use of qualitative tables, relationships between the geological and archaeological evidence and the event depicted in the oral tradition are shown to exist. Moreover, a ‘qualitative measure’ is employed in a descriptive fashion, where a distinction is made between clear relationships and less obvious ones.
Perhaps such an evaluation of a portion of the indigenous perspective within a western scientific framework may serve as a foundation for further work in this area. Eventually, a combination of the two perspectives may yield a richer, more holistic view of the past.