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.