0029 - CAA2016 - Nick Waber

Wireless Lithics: An Open Hardware Approach to Stroke Quantification and Replicability in Lithic Use-wear Experiments

Waber, Nick

University of British Columbia

Use gesture is an integral aspect of any technology, yet it is one of the most poorly understood and most under-recorded components of many lithic use-wear experiments. In experimental contexts, task-related gestures are most often glossed under the catch-all term “stroke”, and are counted, and then compared to other “strokes”, often without any further definition. This paper proposes a method for recording and measuring “strokes” in an objective, replicable manner. Using a combination of a “lithic odometer” use-life index and a hand-held Arduino-based digital force gauge, it is possible to precisely quantify what constitutes a “stroke”, and what the “strokes” mean regarding a tool's use-life history.

0028 - CAA2016 - Laura Roskowski

Bridging the Gap between Cultural Resources Management and Academia: A Consultant In Residence’s Perspective

Roskowski-Nuttall, Laura

University of Calgary, and Stantec

Archaeology as a discipline was initially conducted by academics who investigated only the most significant sites. Over time, government bodies recognized the heritage value of archaeological sites to their citizens, and began requiring industry to conduct archaeological assessments to mitigate impacts to known sites and to identify new sites of varying significance. Thus, the need for the archaeological consultant was born. More recently, Traditional Land Use sites have also received protection and a rise in Traditional Knowledge studies has logically followed. As the disciplines of archaeology and Traditional Knowledge become increasingly regulated by local governments, they have grown away from their academic roots, leaving students without much guidance in the consulting careers offered by Cultural Resources Management. Today there is a growing trend in Canada to reacquaint academia and consulting. This talk will present the successful results of the University of Calgary’s first steps toward bridging this gap.

0027 - CAA2016 - Beth Compton

Engaging with Archaeological Collections from Banks Island, NWT: Examining the value of digital representations and physical replicas

Compton, Mary E. and Lisa Hodgetts

University of Western Ontario

Representations, replicas, and other “copies” of archaeological objects are increasingly used to document and preserve archaeological information and facilitate its sharing. As mediums of communication, both within and outside the archaeological realm, these “copies” form a locus for engagement and experience. Here, as part of our work with the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project on Banks Island, we explore the potential of artifact “copies” to link Inuvialuit community members in Sachs Harbour to ancestral archaeological 56 material now curated in distant repositories. Over the summer of 2015, Compton conducted interviews and focus groups in Sachs Harbour, Inuvik and Yellowknife with a diverse array of archaeological constituents including local Inuvialuit community members (elders, adults, and youth), museologists, curators, and archaeologists in order to examine how they experience, perceive, and value archaeological copies in relation to original archaeological material. A collection of artifacts, digital photographs, 3D models, 3D prints, and handmade replicas provided hands-on inspiration for this dialogue. Findings suggest that, in this case, framing the “copy” in opposition to, or as a devaluation of, the original may be an oversimplification of what is valuable about the various forms. While the majority of participants demonstrated a strong interest in emerging 3D technologies, there was a high diversity of opinion, both between and within communities, about the specific roles archaeological replicas should play.