Archaeology on the Brink: The Occasional Paper Series in 2023 (Part 1)

Editor’s note: The Archaeological Survey of Alberta is proud to release the complete volume of Occasional Paper Series No. 42, available for free download.

Written by: Todd Kristensen, Archaeological Survey of Alberta

Archaeology on the Brink: Papers in Honour of John W. Brink

Unlike previous volumes, in which papers are published and released throughout the year, the current volume is based on an archaeology conference session dedicated to the widely respected Alberta archaeologist Jack Brink, and all articles are here released concurrently. This blog features five articles (out of 12 in the issue) that focus on archaeological work at the famous Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Alberta. The rest of the 12 articles will be published next week.

In the first paper of the volume, a team of researchers from the University of Lethbridge and the Royal Alberta Museum share the results of excavations at Head-Smashed-In in 2021. The paper features new radiocarbon dates that push back human occupation of the site over 8,000 years ago.

In the second paper of the volume, Karen Giering of the Royal Alberta Museum documents an interview with one of the first archaeologists to ever conduct systematic excavations in Alberta: Boyd Wettlaufer. Boyd excavated Head-Smashed-In in 1949. This paper shares some of his previously hard-to-access results and more recent laboratory analyses on artifacts that Boyd recovered.

In the third article, Brian Kooyman from the University of Calgary presents a microscopic look at archaeological materials from Head-Smashed-In. His analysis of phytoliths, charcoal, tool residues and usewear help archaeologists understand site ecology and previously under-appreciated activities performed by pre-contact people.

A team of researchers from the Royal Alberta Museum and Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology outline the challenging process of recovering a feature (an intact roasting pit) for educational display. This article provides both a photographic journey of excavation, plaster jacket application and curation for display, as well as a summary of the interesting bones and tools found in the roasting pit from Head-Smashed-In.

The fifth article in the volume shares new results of an earlier excavation at Head-Smashed-In in 1992. Eric Damkjar showcases some of the extraordinary artifacts and faunal remains found in what is now thought to be a ceremonial pit.

Readers are also encouraged to the peruse the Foreward (pages i-ii), Dedication (pages iii-iv), Jack Brink photograph gallery (pages v-xvi) and Introduction (pages xvii-xviii) to the volume. All of these contributions celebrate the life and achievements of an Alberta archaeologist who excelled at sharing the archaeological record of the province with Albertans and audiences around the world.

Thank you to all the authors and special thanks to editors Martin Magne and Eric Damkjar whose dedication made this volume possible.

Previous volumes can be downloaded for free here. If you are an archaeologist interested in contributing to the 2024 issue, dedicated to heritage in the Eastern Slopes and Rocky Mountains of Canada, please contact the Archaeological Survey of Alberta or guest editor Timothy Allan.