Preserving Indigenous Coastal Heritage: Plankhouse Villages on the Northwest Coast

Coastal regions have long attracted human settlement, but their dynamic environments pose challenges for archaeological research. Today, climate change and development threaten these fragile landscapes and the cultural heritage they hold. In partnership with Indigenous Nations on Canada’s West Coast, we’re using advanced mapping and surveying technologies to document and monitor these cultural landscapes. A key focus for our research is plankhouse village sites. By digitally mapping these sites using non-invasive technologies, we facilitate their combination with other forms of archaeological data (e.g., radiocarbon dating). By undertaking this research we seek to contribute towards Indigenous-led heritage management and the protection of these vital places from erasure.

Collaborators: Andrew Martindale (UBC), Colin Grier (WSU-V), and Kisha Supernant (UofA)

Community-driven Archaeology of Removal and Eviction (CARE)

Partnered with Cold Lake First Nations and Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, we are investigating landscapes where their ancestors were forcibly removed by Canadian governments. This research primarily takes place around the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Using interdisciplinary approaches (e.g., archaeology, remote sensing, geophysical survey, GIS, and 3D laser scanning), we seek to identify, document, and interpret sites created by the forced removal and physical erasure of Indigenous Peoples. As a result, we are also investigating anthropological questions around eviction and dispossession and call into question what it means to "re-occupy" these landscapes of erasure. 

Collaborators: Cold Lake First Nations, Chipewyan Prairie First Nation

Unmarked Graves at former Indian Residential Schools

Since 2018, I’ve worked to locate unmarked graves at former Indian Residential Schools (IRS) across Canada—sites that require tailored archaeological approaches due to their sensitivity. Following the 2021 announcement of unmarked graves at Kamloops IRS, my colleagues and I founded the Canadian Archaeological Association Working Group on Unmarked Graves (CAAUGWG). This national network supports professionals working with Indigenous Nations and developed Canada’s first best-practice guidance for communities undertaking this work. In 2024, the CAAUGWG received the Governor General’s Innovation Award and a ~$1 million SSHRC reconciliation grant to advance research, community engagement, and publication efforts. As Technical Lead at the Institute for Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology (2020-2025), I’ve directly contributed to over 13 IRS surveys and numerous other heritage investigations—always in partnership with Indigenous communities and guided by their priorities. 

We continue to actively research and publish on methodological topics related to the confident identification of unmarked graves, as well as provide research services for Indigenous Nations looking for their relatives.

Collaborators:  Canadian Archaeological Association Working Group on Unmarked Graves