Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEWS Rethinking Colonial Pasts while other contributions address through Archaeology topics pertaining to Canada, Africa (Mozambique, Uganda), the Caribbean Neal Ferris, Rodney Harrison, (Jamaica, Dominica), Australia, and and Michael V. Wilcox, editors Ireland. Its objective is to present a synthesis of current theoretical trends and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014 528 100 00 contemporary research on the archaeology . pp. £ . cloth. of the colonized, and to highlight Douglas E. Ross the value of revisionist approaches in Simon Fraser University decolonizing our understanding of the past. As such, contributors seek to highlight the relevance of their research to descendant communities and the wider ethinking Colonial Pasts through field of archaeology. RArchaeology is an important and The book is divided into four sections: well crafted synthesis by leading (1) contemporary issues in the archaeology scholars, marking a coming of age for of Indigenous-European interactions; the archaeology of Indigenous peoples (2) case studies on colonial landscapes, in colonial settler societies. To some communities, households, and identities; extent, the title misrepresents the (3) examples of marginalized groups volume’s explicit focus on colonized facing challenges similar to those of peoples, but this is a conscious choice Indigenous peoples; and (4) studies by the editors. They find “archaeology seeking to reframe the conceptual basis of the colonized” a problematic concept of the field and situate archaeology and feel the book’s broad themes within contemporary political contexts warrant the more inclusive title. and global discourses. Central themes This edited volume has twenty unifying the chapters include a colonized- substantive chapters, bookended by an centric view of the colonial process, introduction plus two brief commentaries comparative studies of everyday life across and an afterword. It does not claim to time and space, and reflexive challenges be comprehensive, and the majority of to essentialized colonial categories and authors are based in the United States, dichotomies like “Indigenous” and with many chapters having a US focus, “European” that define this field of study. bc studies, no. 190, Summer 2016 133 134 bc studies In their introduction, Ferris and lived experience, including domestic colleagues argue that archaeologists architecture, mortuary customs, and studying the recent past, where agricultural practices. Martindale colonial narratives are still playing draws on recent BC court decisions to out, face particular conceptual and present an important examination of methodological challenges. These the problematic role of archaeology in include the conceptualization of Aboriginal right and title cases. He “culture” and “identity,” which, when argues that courts use outdated and examined using different scales and essentialized models of culture taken datasets, can appear both fluid and from the archaeological literature fixed. They identify “archaeology of the in order to undermine Indigenous colonized” as a distinct subfield within efforts to demonstrate the antiquity of the discipline of historical archaeology, their cultural practices, and he urges which initially emerged in the Americas archaeologists to develop updated models and Australia to fill a conceptual gap of culture that challenge this normative between archaeologies of the pre- and approach. postcontact periods, but which has since By and large, the remaining chapters united researchers worldwide grappling are equally thoughtful, and anyone with similar challenges in conducting researching the “archaeology of the archaeology in colonial settler societies. colonized,” or, for that matter, the Although issues addressed in this “archaeology of colonialism,” would do book have relevance beyond the field well to have a copy of this book close at of historical archaeology, the text hand. contains disciplinary and theoretical language throughout, and the primary audience is clearly an academic one. Furthermore, while there is some discussion of Indigenous archaeology in Africa in the chapter by Paul Lane, a volume of this scope, with its emphasis on decolonization, could benefit from more explicitly Indigenous voices and perspectives on the contemporary practice of archaeology as it relates to colonized populations. Of particular relevance to readers of BC Studies are chapters by Jeff Oliver and Andrew Martindale. Oliver develops an innovative approach to human agency that moves away from domination-resistance models towards a comparative framework that explores how Indigenous responses to colonialism varied over time, space, and the nature of colonial authority. He presents three case studies from Metlakatla, Kimsquit, and the Fraser Valley to show how agency is evident in aspects of everyday Book Reviews 135 Native Peoples of the Olympic cultural connections still exist across the Peninsula: Who We Are strait, from both the British Columbia (2nd edition) and Washington sides. The Indigenous peoples of the Olympic Jacilee Wray, editor for Olympic Peninsula are introduced in the book Peninsula Intertribal Cultural edited by anthropologist Jacilee Wray Advisory Committee for the Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee. This Norman: University of Oklahoma slender volume provides brief descriptions Press, 2015. 201 pp. US$19.95 paper. of the nine separate tribal communities on the Olympic Peninsula today. Eight different languages, from three distinct The Sea Is My Country: The linguistic families, were once spoken Maritime World of the Makahs in this region, attesting to its cultural diversity. Most belong to the widespread Joshua L. Reid Salish family, as is also true on the BC side of the border. The exceptions are New Haven and London: Yale the Makah, closely linked to the people University Press, 2015. xvi+400 pp. $40 00 of western Vancouver Island, and the US . cloth. distinct Quileute and Hoh peoples. Each community is the subject of a chapter Alan D. McMillan Simon Fraser University written by community members and reviewed by tribal councils. As a result, the chapters present tribal perspectives aterways such as the Strait on their history and on those issues that of Juan de Fuca were vital are important to them today. Chapters transportationW corridors for the First follow a similar format, starting with Nations of the coast. People regularly an overview of the traditional culture traversed the strait in their large efficient and historic changes and then dealing canoes for trading or raiding expeditions with the reservation communities today, or to visit relatives. However, the including heritage programs and visitor 1846 imposition of the international attractions (such as tribal museums). boundary down the middle of the Shared experiences, such as the impact strait placed these formerly linked of the treaties signed between 1854 and communities into either British or 1856, run through the chapters, yet American jurisdictions, disrupting each also presents issues distinct and long-established networks. The Klallam important to that community. Cultural near Victoria fell on the opposite side of traditions remain strong today, with the border to that of the three Klallam many communities establishing heritage (or S’Klallam) communities on the centres and language programs, although Olympic Peninsula. The Makah, who few speakers of the traditional languages made frequent open-ocean canoe remain. voyages to their Nuu-chah-nulth, Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula Ditidaht, and Pacheedaht relatives was first published in2002 . The second along the west coast of Vancouver edition, with a different publisher, adds Island, found themselves separated recent developments. Removal of two from their kin as well as cut off from major dams on the Lower Elwha River, important marine resources. Strong completed in 2014, allowed salmon to 136 bc studies again ascend the river and provided the of European and Euro-American fur Klallam access to culturally important traders in Makah waters to their ongoing locations for the first time in a century. struggles to maintain their maritime Another important event for the Lower culture and identity. The approach is that Elwha Klallam was the discovery and of an academic historian, presenting the excavation of an ancient village at results of extensive archival research in Port Angeles during a construction considerable detail, ending with ninety project, although digging came to a pages of endnotes and references. halt when numerous human remains One theme that runs through this were encountered. After negotiations, volume is the idea of the Makah a portion of the site was allocated for “borderlands,” extending from northern reburials and a museum was constructed Vancouver Island to the Columbia River to display the artefacts and to promote mouth. Front and back maps show cultural heritage. Another new theme the Makah within this wider world. in several chapters is the resurgence of Networks of regular contact, kin ties, “canoe culture” and the large-scale canoe trade, and competing interests linked journeys involving multiple communities the various people of the “borderlands.” from around the Olympic Peninsula to far These networks were in place at the up the BC coast. Despite these additions, time of first contact with outsiders in however, most chapters have been only the late eighteenth century. Tatoosh, lightly revised and some appear almost the powerful chief of the

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