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Applying Community-Based Approaches to an Archaeology of Banks Island, NWT

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Applying Community-Based Approaches to an Archaeology of Banks Island, NWT Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 10-12-2016 12:00 AM There Is More Than One Way to Do Something Right: Applying Community-Based Approaches to an Archaeology of Banks Island, NWT Laura Elena Kelvin The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Lisa Hodgetts The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Laura Elena Kelvin 2016 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Other Anthropology Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Kelvin, Laura Elena, "There Is More Than One Way to Do Something Right: Applying Community-Based Approaches to an Archaeology of Banks Island, NWT" (2016). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4168. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4168 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This dissertation explores how historical knowledge is produced and maintained within the Inuvialuit (Western Arctic Inuit) community of Sachs Harbour, NWT, to determine how archaeological research can best complement and respect Inuvialuit understandings and ways of knowing the past. When archaeologists apply Indigenous knowledges to their research they often have limited understandings of how these knowledges work, and may apply them inadequately or inappropriately. I employ an archaeological ethnographic approach to help Ikaahukmiut (people with ties to Banks Island, NWT) articulate to archaeologists how they construct their knowledge of Banks Island’s past. Inuvialuit understandings of the past are experiential and holistic in nature and are passed down through oral histories. They are also learned through doing and are embodied and lived in everyday practice. Archaeologists often overlook diversity within the communities with whom they partner in community-based projects. My research aims to recognize diversity in Ikaahukmiut understandings of the past and of archaeology so that it can ultimately be accounted for in developing community-based research. Although sub-communities can be identified based on any social cleavage, I found that participation in sub-communities based on cultural background, family group, generation, and education and employment background had the greatest influences on community understandings of the past and opinions of archaeology. To establish an effective and inclusive community-based archaeology project on Banks Island, archaeologists will need to engage with and navigate diversity within the community. Future projects should be built with two main guiding principles: the Inuvialuit guiding principle of respect and the notion that there is more than one way to do something right. There is a need for future projects to respect traditional beliefs, apply community knowledge, and address community concerns. In general archaeologists establishing community-based projects may need to broaden their understandings of what constitutes archaeological research to develop culturally meaningful projects. This may require dissolving academically imposed divides between archaeology and anthropology, history and heritage, and Indigenous and academic knowledge. In doing so archaeologists may more effectively involve Inuvialuit people and better represent their knowledge. Keywords Community-based archaeology, Banks Island, arctic archaeology, Inuvialuit, archaeological ethnography, community diversity ii Acknowledgments It is a pleasure to thank all of those who have supported me and helped make this thesis possible. I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Lisa Hodgetts. It would have been impossible to write this dissertation without her knowledge, guidance, and support. It is an honour for me to thank the wonderful and enthusiastic people who participated in my research project and shared their family histories and knowledge of the past with me. It is their knowledge that this dissertation is based on. I would like to express my gratitude to the people of Sachs Harbour for their hospitality and interest in my research. I am grateful to the Hamlet of Sachs Harbour, the Sachs Harbour Community Corporation, and the Sachs Harbour HTC for giving me permission to conduct my research. Thank you to the Lucas family, Joey Carpenter, Lena Wolki, and Edith Haogak for the visits, shared meals, and good company. Thank you to Bridget Wolki and Betty-Raddi Haogak for their friendship, encouragement, and teatime breaks. Thank you to Trevor Lucas for taking me out on the land, helping me with my research, and providing good company. Thank you to Kim Lucas, Betty Raddi-Haogak, and Lena Wolki for helping with my sewing. Thank you to Darren Nasogaluak for lending me his fishing rod. I never would have caught a fish without it! I am grateful to Kevin Gully, Kyle Donovan, and the Recreation Department for keeping me entertained. A special thanks to the youth of Sachs Harbour for putting up with my poor volleyball skills. The amazing people of Sachs Harbour are what made my experience in the north truly worthwhile. I must acknowledge the support of the other #TeamHodgetts members, Colleen Haukaas, Katie Kotar, Jordon Munizzi, Beth Compton, and Letitia Pokiak for their help in the field, support, and insights. I would like to thank Ed Eastaugh for his help making the maps for my dissertation. I would also like to thank the University of Western Ontario’s Anthropology Department, especially Andrew Walsh and Tania Granadillo. A special thank you to the Public Humanities at Western team. I am grateful to the agencies that funded this research: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program, the Northern iii Scientific Training Program, the Arctic Institute of North America Grant-in-Aid program, the Aurora Research Institute Research Fellowship. I would also like to thank Parks Canada and the Aurora Research Institute for logistical support. Finally, I would like to show my appreciation to those closest to me who have offered their support throughout this process. It is very important to me to thank Amy St. John, Lina Johnston, and the other members of the Tribunal, Jose Sanchez and Colleen Haukaas, who not only offered their support, but also offered just the right amount of distraction to keep me sane. I would also like to thank my grandparents and my siblings for their encouragement. A special thanks goes to my Mom and Dad for their enthusiasm when it comes to archaeology and for providing me with every opportunity to pursue this interest. Thank You! iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix List of Plates ...................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................. 1 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Archaeological and Ethnographic Research in the Arctic ...................................... 5 1.2 Impacts of Early Research on Northern Communities ........................................... 8 1.3 Previous Archaeological Projects on Banks Island .............................................. 11 1.4 The Rise of Community-Based Archaeology ....................................................... 17 Chapter 2 ........................................................................................................................... 23 2 Research Methods: Archaeological Ethnographies ..................................................... 23 2.1 Archaeological Ethnography ................................................................................ 23 2.2 Critique of Ethnographic Archaeologies .............................................................. 26 2.2.1 Reflexivity................................................................................................. 26 2.2.2 Lack of Ethnographic Training ................................................................. 27 2.2.3 Misrepresentation and Appropriation of Indigenous Knowledge ............. 29 2.2.4 Intellectual Property Rights ...................................................................... 30 2.3 Research Methods ................................................................................................. 31 2.3.1 Defining the Community .......................................................................... 33 2.3.2 Research Methods
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