Research conducted by Erica Kowsz, funded by Fulbright Canada as a visiting researcher in the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University, 2011-2012

In comparison with British Columbia's coast, the archaeology of the interior is sometimes overlooked. In the Kootenays, a series of large scale damming projects the 20th century drowned many riverside sites, contributing to the low profile of the region's archaeological heritage. At times, even local people are unaware of the rich and unique heritage values of the land on which they live. But there are plenty of surviving sites that deserve attention. Some of the largest intact Interior Salish pithouse villages sites are located in this area, alongside historic remains of Doukoubour settlements and other historic sites.

I began working in the region in 2009, as a field school student with the Slocan Narrows Archaeological Project, run by Dr. Nathan Goodale of Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. As I talked to local people and read the history and ethnography of the region, I learned about the complicated and conflict-ridden history of the region. I became convinced that this history was an important factor in any heritage-related work being done in the area, including our field school and related research. In 2010 and 2011, I worked with a research team from Hamilton College to produce a film titled 'A Journey Upstream: The Past and Presence of an "Extinct" People.' Through a series of interviews interspersed with still imagery, the film gives a brief history of the displacement of the Sinixt First Nation people from their northern territory in Canada and their efforts to reestablish their presence there over the past several decades. This film is part of a larger endeavor, the Sinixt Existence, Archaeology, Repatriation, and Cultural Heritage (SEARCH) project, a multi-disciplinary project funded in part through the Digital Humanities Initiative at Hamilton College. For more about SEARCH, visit http://www.dhinitiative.org/projects/search/

Local people express interest in archaeology as a window into aspects of the past overlooked by history and diffused from the oral tradition by displacement, environmental changes, and language loss. This year I'm conducting further interviews to investigate the role archaeology can play as a vehicle for understanding the past and building community in the Upper Columbia. This research will provide archaeologists with key contextual information to assure that future work in the region will serve local, and not just academic, needs. Heritage sites can provide information about the past, but they can also be used as a setting for building intercultural reconciliation. I hope that the film I produce will also be able to raise awareness about the value of heritage sites in the region and stimulate dialog about protecting and interpreting them.

Any questions or comments about my project? Reach me at eekowsz@sfu.ca.

The Bishop Museum, located in Honolulu, Hawai'i, was designated in 2008 by the Hawaiian Legislature as the portal for the Hawaii Archaeology Surveys (HAS). The museum has now created an online database enabling users to search for information on sites in Hawai'i excavated by Bishop Museum archaeologists.

The data in the HAS database is arranged traditionally by ahupua'a. Once you have selected an ahupua'a, click an individual entry's Site Name, Bishop Museum Site Number, or State Site Number for complete site details. Currently there are over 12,000 records available with plans to continuously add more.

"The Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. The Museum was established to house the extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms of the Princess, and has expanded to include millions of artifacts, documents and photographs about Hawai‘i and other Pacific island cultures."

The museum is well worth a visit if you're ever in Honolulu.

For the past three years, the SFU Library has hosted an annual event celebrating SFU faculty, students and staff who have authored a book or book chapter published in the preceding year. Planning is underway for the next event honouring books published during the 2010 calendar year. A reception to mark the accomplishments of SFU authors will be held in March 2011 in the Library's Special Collections and Rare Books Division (date to be announced).

The Library is currently accepting nominations for publications to be recognized as part of this celebration. The eligibility criteria are straightforward:

• Author/co-author of a book or book chapter published during the 2010 calendar year
• Author is a current SFU student, current staff person or current/retired faculty member
• New works only (no reprints or revised editions)
• No articles in journals or magazines

SFU authors who meet the eligibility criteria listed above are invited to submit their publications via the survey at: http://websurvey.sfu.ca/survey/68122257

The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2011. For more information, please contact Angela Raasch at araasch@sfu.ca or 778-782-4084.

Dr. Charles Eckman
University Librarian & Dean of Library Services
Simon Fraser University
W.A.C. Bennett Library
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC Canada V5A 1S6
tel: 778-782-3265
fax: 778-782-3023

This now in: Archaeology undergraduate course design to be revised significantly...

All joking aside (temporarily), the May 7, 2010 issue of Science provides evidence to indicate modern humans carry Neanderthal DNA.

"...Green et al. report a draft sequence of the Neandertal genome composed of over 3 billion nucleotides from three individuals, and compare it with the genomes of five modern humans. A companion paper by Burbano et al. describes a method for sequencing target regions of Neandertal DNA. A News Focus, podcast segment, and special online presentation featuring video commentary, text, and a timeline of Neandertal-related discoveries provide additional context for their findings."

While SFU researchers have access to Science through the SFU library, the journal is making this information including Green's article, podcast series featuring Svante Paabo, Chris Stringer and Sarah Tishkoff as well as other special features freely available to the public through the Science website.

SFU Facilities Services is conducting a major 9-day project to replace the electrical service equipment in the WAC Bennett Library building on the Burnaby campus. This work has been planned in cooperation with Library staff and SFU Security.

Power to the Library building will be shut down and the Library will CLOSE at 6 pm Friday April 30, 2010 and not re-open until 8 am Monday May 3, 2010. There is to be no occupancy in the building during the power shutdown.

From 6 am Monday May 3, to 6 pm Friday May 7, portable generators will be running continuously to power the Library to allow normal occupancy. These generators will be located on the ramp by the boiler plant at the west side of the Library. There will be some exhaust smell and noise from the generators when they are running.

At 6 pm Friday May 7, 2010, the generators will be turned off and the Library will CLOSE AGAIN and not re-open until 8 am Monday May 10, 2010. There is to be no occupancy in the building during the power shutdown.

Normal operating hours should commence on Monday May 10 at 8 am and the project will be complete with normal power restored.

Throughout the entire period, the Library's website and associated online services -- catalogue, electronic journals, and other online resources -- will be available.

This project is not related to the campus-wide power outage scheduled on Sunday May 16 when the Bennett Library will again be closed.

If you have questions or concerns, please address them to Dana Sundmark, electrical superintendent, at dsa17@sfu.ca.

Dana Sundmark
Electrical Superintendent
SFU Facilities Services