2229 assignment3

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Western University *

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2229

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Anthropology

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Dec 6, 2023

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pdf

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Uploaded by SuperSardineMaster534

Archaeology and The Public: A Reflection 1 The Museum of Ontario Archaeology is a historical gem in North London, which features over 12,000 years of human history. It is also home to the well-known Lawson Site, a 500-year-old village that has been excavated for over 150 years by Canadian archaeologists. This site is one of three archaeological sites in Canada, and the only site in Ontario, to be placed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. Despite its long history of excavation, most of the Lawson Site still remains untouched, which highlights the Museum’s commitment to preserving history and respecting the land of those who came before us. Our class was left with a lot to reflect on after our field trip on November 30th, specifically regarding the presentation of archaeology to the public. Our tour started by leading us through the Museum Gallery. Upon first entering the gallery, we were introduced to the history of how the museum came to be. There were two cabinets by the entrance full of artifacts from what was referred to as a ‘legacy collection’, a private collection of artifacts belonging to the Jury family. The museum got its start through this generous donation by the Jurys, but unfortunately, the context and information about where and how the artifacts originated were lost due to them being from a personal collection. As a result, their display cases contained no labels detailing these artifacts. Right across from these cases was a remake of a typical Ontario excavation site, to exemplify how artifacts are collected before they make their way to museums. It was effective to have these exhibits right at the entrance of the gallery because it provides context on how the museum started and how it sources its artifacts. After these introductory exhibits, we were led through 12,000 years of Indigenous history by time period. Each time period was represented by one display case containing multiple labeled artifacts from the time, next to a corresponding mural that depicted what life was like for humans then. This was a highly effective way to set up these exhibits, the separation of artifacts and murals by period allows the public to clearly visualize the evolution of humans, and what life may have looked like as evolution progressed. The rest of the gallery was geared towards simulating life at the time. A large diorama of a longhouse village provided a birds-eye view of the environment that communities lived in back then and represented what the Lawson Site would have looked like in its prime. Next to this diorama were two display cases filled with real artifacts found on the Lawson Site. This area of the museum also held a life-sized model of the front of a longhouse, allowing the public to visualize just how complex and grand these buildings were. There was also a VR simulation room, which placed you inside a longhouse during the time it was inhabited. The last part of the gallery was a room separate from the rest of the exhibits, which was full of information about the CRM process of archaeological digs in Ontario. It showed us, through images on the wall, the step-by-step journey an artifact takes to get to a museum. The specific artifact they used in these images was a tiny ceramic sheep head, which actually was displayed in a case in this room. I loved this, not only because the sheep head was cute, but also because seeing its

Archaeology and The Public: A Reflection 2 journey from being found to being in a museum really contextualized just how much effort actually goes into the excavation of a single artifact, even when the artifact is as small as that sheep head was. The organization of this gallery was very effective because it flowed well; it presented artifacts with corresponding visuals in a chronological way that would be easy for any member of the public to understand, no matter their age. It also was very informative about the process of finding artifacts, which I appreciated as it shows the public that the artifacts in front of them are valuable and highly respected items, and not just random trinkets found on a farm. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the gallery, but my favourite part was the longhouse diorama because of how intricate and detailed it was. I do not have any complaints, I think this gallery presented archaeology in a way that could be understood by anyone without oversimplifying history, and while maintaining a high level of respect for the artifacts. Our class then got a behind-the-scenes look at the museum in the Sustainable Archaeology facility. This facility follows the Canadian Heritage Act and holds thousands of items from CRM sites that were considered to have heritage value and impact. The function of the facility is to preserve material culture from the archaeological record in a way that is thoughtful and sustainable. When artifacts are found at CRM sites, they are sent to a repository such as this one to be preserved. I found the layout of this facility to be interesting; it was a giant room with wall-to-wall, ceiling-height shelving that housed hundreds of boxes made of special waterproof plastic to protect artifacts from the elements. It was hard to process how much history this room actually held. I cannot stress enough how important I think Sustainable Archaeology is. Facilities such as this one protect vital pieces of history and play a part in preventing artifacts found at CRM sites from getting into the hands of private collectors. They allow for the recording and analysis of artifacts to be done in a way that doesn’t put them at risk of damage or being lost. When artifacts go to this facility, they will be respected and valued as historically impactful pieces of material culture, and they can be repatriated to Indigenous tribes if need be. The final portion of the museum we visited was the infamous Lawson Site. We learned that this village was home to approximately 2000 people and was occupied year-round. The ancestral Indigenous community that occupied this site was a developed society, the site was once home to 19 longhouses. This site was likely chosen as a population center because of its proximity to rivers, its wide variety of animal species, and its ability to be protected. Surrounded by trees, this site provided enough wood for its inhabitants to build a tall fence surrounding the region to mark and defend their territory. Human bodies have been found buried on this site, indicating that its inhabitants participated in burial practices, something that is common in complex cultures. As previously mentioned, this site has been excavated for 150 years and around 30,000 artifacts have been found. What’s interesting is that despite the sheer volume

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