Studies of Physical Parameters of Indigenous Artifacts. Collecting and Preserving the Relating Oral Stories

Authors

  • Arzu Sardarli First Nations University of Canada
  • Evelyn Siegfried Royal Saskatchewan Museum
  • Ida Swan First Nations University of Canada
  • Tim Panas Parks Canada
  • Andrei Volodin University of Regina
  • Leta Kingfisher First Nations University of Canada
  • William Patterson University of Saskatchewan
  • Sandra Timsic University of Saskatchewan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v8i4.70756

Keywords:

Indigenous artifacts, archaeology, oral stories, statistical analysis, carbon dating

Abstract

The project, supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, was conducted by scholars from First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), University of Regina (U of R) and Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) in 2018 - 2020, in collaboration with Sturgeon Lake and Pelican Narrows First Nations communities. More than forty people, including Elders and students, participated in this project.
The research Ethics review was done by U of R. We also consulted with Elders regarding the research Ethics protocols during the individual meetings, ceremonies and workshops in Pelican Narrows and Sturgeon Lake. Research assistants (Indigenous students) were trained (Indigenous studies and the basics of archaeology) for working in First Nations communities and at the RSM.
We interviewed Elders and Knowledge Keepers from Pelican Narrows and Sturgeon Lake and recorded their oral stories; collected Indigenous artifacts in these communities and selected samples from RSM collections for physical measurements at the Scanning Electron Microscope Laboratory of the University of Alberta, Saskatchewan Isotope Laboratory of the University of Saskatchewan and André E. Lalonde Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory of the University of Ottawa. Then we carried out the statistical analysis of the obtained data. The preliminary results of the project were presented to community members.

Author Biographies

Arzu Sardarli, First Nations University of Canada

(corresponding author) (Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics, Supreme Attestation Commission of Russian Federation, 1993; M.S. (First Class Honours) in Physics, Baku State University, Azerbaijan, 1885) is a Professor of Physics and Mathematics at the First Nations University of Canada. He led several community-based research and educational projects. Email: asardarli@fnuniv.ca 

Evelyn Siegfried, Royal Saskatchewan Museum

(Ph.D. 2002 and MA 1994, in Archaeology at the University of Calgary) is the Curator of Indigenous Studies at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. This includes overseeing the care and conservation of the provincial collection of archaeological materials and a collection of ethnographic objects originating from Indigenous Peoples living in communities within Saskatchewan through time.

Ida Swan, First Nations University of Canada

is an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Education at the First Nations University of Canada. She obtained her M.Ed. degree at the University of Saskatchewan. Ida’s research interests include Cree Language Stories and Legends, Oral Tradition and Indigenous Epistemologies and Pedagogy.

Tim Panas, Parks Canada

Tim Panas works as Program/Policy Officer for Parks Canada. He obtained his Ph.D. degree at the University of Saskatchewan and M.A. degree at the University of Montana.

Andrei Volodin, University of Regina

is a Professor of Statistics at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, the University of Regina. He did his Bachelor’s degree in Pure Mathematics at the Kazan Federal University and Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Regina.

Leta Kingfisher , First Nations University of Canada

is an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at the First Nations University of Canada. She obtained her Ph.D. degree at the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, USA. Leta’s research interests include Indigenous religious philosophies, Indigenous trauma and healing and Gender relations.

William Patterson , University of Saskatchewan

(PhD, University of Michigan, Geochemistry, 1995), specializes in the use of stable isotope chemistry to address questions in atmospheric science, archaeology, biology, bird/fish/mammal ecology, climate change, evolution and extinction, geology, hydrology, oceanography, plant physiology, paleoclimatology and paleoceanography. He has worked on all 7 continents, in ~100 countries.

Sandra Timsic , University of Saskatchewan

obtained PhD at the University of Saskatchewan in 2016 in the field of stable isotope geochemistry and paleoclimatology. Sandra has significant experience in gas-source and laser mass spectrometry. Now Laboratory Manager of the Saskatchewan Isotope Laboratory, she facilitates day-to-day laboratory operation, analyses, data processing, training, and research.

References

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Published

2023-04-14

How to Cite

Sardarli, A., Siegfried, . E. ., Swan, I., Panas, T. ., Volodin, A., Kingfisher , L., … Timsic , S. (2023). Studies of Physical Parameters of Indigenous Artifacts. Collecting and Preserving the Relating Oral Stories. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 8(4), 72–82. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v8i4.70756

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 4 (2022): Fall 2022

Section

Reports from the Field

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