Advancing Boreal Forest Archaeology: Intrasite Spatial Analysis of the Eaglenest Portage Site A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Matthew Rawluk © Copyright, Matthew Rawluk, March 2019. All Rights Reserved PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying, publication, or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology 55 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B1 OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i ABSTRACT This thesis presents the results of an intrasite spatial analysis study of an archaeological assemblage from the Eaglenest Portage site in the Birch Mountains of northern Alberta. In this region, many sites consist of a seemingly random accumulation of stratigraphically mixed artifacts created through repeated occupations. Challenges arise for archaeologists who work in the region, due in part to physical and biological processes that move artifacts from where they were initially deposited, resulting in a general lack of stratified sites. These challenges make it difficult to understand both the vertical and horizontal spatial relationships between artifacts. Research in northern Alberta has primarily been conducted by consulting firms to make way for new industrial developments. Due to the perceived mixing of artifact assemblages, consulting archaeologists do not map all artifacts found in situ; instead, it is common to shovel-shave excavation units in arbitrary levels. Ives (1985) attempted to overcome the challenges of the boreal forest environment by collecting three-point provenience measurements (north, east, and depth below datum measurements) for each artifact collected from the Eaglenest Portage site and subsequently conducting a spatial study on the distribution of finished artifacts. The research presented in this thesis shows that carefully controlled excavations, with emphasis on three-point provenience measurements and spatial analysis (surface interpolation, nearest neighbour analysis, kernel density, k-means, and hot spot analysis) of an entire artifact assemblage, offer an objective method by which to identify temporally related clusters of artifacts and potential features that otherwise would be missed using the typical excavation practices in place today. A total of 25 clusters were identified in the four blocks that were excavated at the Eaglenest Portage site. The clusters allowed a range of discrete activities and potential features to be identified. This study and the study of Ives (1985) before it emphasize the importance of three- point provenience data in the interpretation of sites with limited stratigraphy. With this in mind, archaeologists and archaeological regulatory bodies should rethink what are deemed to be adequate excavation practices in the boreal forest. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The preparation of this thesis would not have been possible without the help of my many friends, family, and colleagues. There are no proper words to convey my deep gratitude and respect for my thesis advisors, Dr. Elizabeth Robertson and Dr. Glenn Stuart. Their guidance, encouragement, and feedback throughout the entire research process cannot be overstated. My sincere thanks must also go to the members of my thesis advisory committee. Dr. John W. Ives has inspired my interest in archaeology ever since I was an undergraduate at the University of Alberta. Dr. Chris Foley encouraged me to improve my abilities with GIS software, which turned out to be a very important aspect of this research. I would also like to thank my external examiner Dr. Jill Blakly for her insights and valuable comments towards improving my work. This thesis was inspired by a project that was undertaken at the University of Alberta with artifacts collected from Ahai Mneh (FiPp-33). I would like to again express my gratitude to Dr. John W. Ives for allowing me to be apart of that project. I would also like to thank Aileen Reilly, Peter Stewart, and Gabriel Yanicki who all, in one way or another, inspired the work that is seen in this thesis. I began my career in archaeology with Stantec Consulting Ltd., and since that time I have worked at a number of different consulting firms, with many permit holders and field assistants. These brilliant friends and colleagues (of which there are too many to name) have inspired me throughout the many years. There is no way to express how much it has meant to me to be able to learn from and work aside such a talented group of people. Special mention must go to Laura Nuttall who recognized and fostered my passion for archaeology and encouraged and helped me to apply for my graduate degree. I hope one day to be half the archaeologist she is. I am also particularly thankful that in my first two years as an archaeologist I had the opportunity to work with Jean-Paul Foster, who not only taught me how to find sites, but who was also gracious enough to demonstrate the proper way to sink an Argo. Special thanks must go to Kyle Belanger who has greatly enhanced my ability to interpret lithic technologies and for always being available to discuss anything archaeological related with me. Thank you to Margarita De Guzman and Circle Consulting for keeping me employed throughout much of the duration of my writing process. I would like to thank Todd Kristensen and Mike Donnelly for offering incredible insights and advice for the backcountry camping/fieldwork component of this research. I would also like iii to thank Darryl Bereziuk and Robin Woywitka who met with me to discuss my research plan and guided me through the permit application process. I cannot understate how grateful I am for the time that Dr. Elizabeth Robertson endured with me during the week-long field component of this research. Without her, I surely would have capsized my canoe. Her ability to keep my spirits high while we froze on the shore of Eaglenest Lake and her help to start a fire with Cheetos as we waited for the float plane to pick us up did not go unnoticed. Thank you to Martina Purdon for providing me access to final reports and to Karen Giering of the Royal Alberta Museum for providing me access to the Eaglenest Portage materials and photograph slides. I would also like to thank Reid Graham for helping me track down the Eaglenest Portage catalogue sheets because without that information this thesis would have hit a dead end. Thanks to my many friends who encouraged me and offered words of wisdom or support throughout my time spent as a student. A very special thank you goes to Brooke Gerard whose cheerful personality helped me endure enervating hikes in northern Alberta and for constantly encouraging me to work on my edits even when I was wet from head to toe from failed creek crossings. Thank you to Meghan Beevor for constantly reminding me to sometimes stop and appreciate the small things (like how massive that mushroom is!). Thanks to Hudson Kunicky for ensuring I always got home safe, even when an ATV landed on top of me. Thanks also to Katelyn O’Keefe who offered me incredibly nice words of support during the final process of this thesis. My greatest thanks must go to my parents who have spent a lifetime of encouraging me to do my best. Dad, your hard work ethic, kindness, and good looks obviously rubbed off on me. Mom, your intelligence and outside the box thinking is inspiring, thank you for encouraging my love of reading at a young age and for always believing in me. To my brothers, Jeff and Travis thank you for your constant support and encouragement, you are not just my brothers but also my best friends. I am grateful to my many nieces whose smiling faces encouraged me to just get this done. To my partner, Marley Robyn, you have seen the best and the worst of me throughout my time as a graduate student. Thank you for always being there for me, thank you for your constant support, for keeping me well-fed, for ensuring I take care of myself, and for just being you. I could not have completed this project without your love and support. iv Funding for this project was provided by the Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP), Hantleman Humanities Scholarship, and the Roger Soderstrom Scholarship (Alberta Government). v TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE ................................................................................................................