Meet and Greet and student presentations - Anthropology Field School
Hello Kwantlen community:
You are invited by the Anthropology Department of Kwantlen Polytechnic University to attend a meet-and-greet event with BC's up and coming archaeological talent, hosted at our Surrey campus.Students of Kwantlen's 2011 Applied Archaeology Field School will be presenting the results of this year's field investigations in the Fraser Canyon, after which you will have a chance to mingle with the students.
In 2011, we excavated at the unrecorded Nlaka'pamux village of Quayome, which had a population of over 840 people in 1830.This location was visited by Simon Fraser in 1808, may have been the site of the Battle of Boston Bar on Aug 14, 1858, and was visited by Judge Begbie in 1859.Two traditional pithouse dwellings from the late 1800s were excavated, revealing the presence of lanterns, shoes, and personal items belonging to the inhabitants.Preliminary artifact dating places abandonment between 1850 and 1880.
In addition, evidence from the War of 1858 was identified in one of the house depressions, in the form of a button from the US Army.This button was manufactured in Connecticut, USA, probably in the early to mid 1850s.Many of the miners in the Fraser Canyon gold rush of 1858 had been in the US Army, and had fought in the Indian Wars in California, eastern Washington and Oregon in the 1840s and early 1850s.They went to war with Nlaka'pamux people in the canyon over land rights and other grievances.Many people are not aware that the history of the mainland colony of BC began with this war, and that this province would have been part of the USA if the war had turned out differently.
Tree ring dating of culturally modified trees in Ainslie Creek, about 8 km away from Quayome, gives additional information on the abandonment of pithouses at that site.Tree ring dates show a decline in cedar harvest after the 1840s to a low point in the early 1900s, likely because of a collapse in Nlaka'pamux economy and population resulting from the 1858 war, introduced disease, and other impacts of colonialism.
Lots of pictures will be shown, some video, and people will have a chance to handle and examine our artifacts.
Coffee, doughnuts and other snacks will be provided free of charge.
Please RSVP to brian.pegg@kwantlen.ca or brianpegg@gmail.com
When:August 4, 2011, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Where:Kwantlen at Surrey, 12666 72nd Avenue, Conference Centre A Side
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Brian Pegg
Department of Anthropology
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
