Indigenous-led archaeology school ‘disheartened’ after dig site vandalized twice in four days | 24CA News
Members of an Indigenous archaeological discipline faculty are “disheartened” after discovering their dig website in Gatineau, Que., was vandalized twice within the span of some days.
The group from Anishinàbe Odjìbikan stated they first found injury and lacking gadgets on their website at Lac Leamy, referred to as Kabeshinàn in Ojibwe, Saturday morning.
Indigenous artifacts at the moment are lacking. Screens used to sift by sand and grime have been torn open. Dust pans have been tossed within the water. Tables and tents are gone. The grid system, used to maintain observe of the place artifacts have been uncovered, is with out the nails used to lock it down.
“We’re trying to do something. We’re trying to educate people and trying to recover our own artifacts after previous years of genocide,” supervisor Jennifer Tenasco stated.
“To come here and be able to occupy the land and pick up our own ancestral artifacts and then to have someone come and destroy all the things that we brought here, and then also take artifacts — it’s very disheartening.”
The group spent the remainder of the weekend cleansing up and repairing broken tools. Then on Monday, it found the positioning had been vandalized once more.
“It’s very frustrating,” Tenasco stated.
The National Capital Commission (NCC), which manages the land, has operated an archaeological dig on the lake since 2014. Ian Badgley, an archaeologist with the NCC, stated some type of vandalism has occurred on the websites yearly since.
“It’s very discouraging,” Badgley stated. “It costs us to replace the equipment that’s damaged or destroyed, and it also causes the destruction of the archaeological resources.”
‘Immense’ significance to Indigenous communities
It’s the second summer time the sector faculty joined the NCC and the primary 12 months the group arrange its personal website, with members of the group invited to affix in digging and discovering Indigenous artifacts. It’s the one website focused by vandalism to this point this summer time.
“Our communities, our people back home, they’re very upset,” Tenasco stated.
She added the positioning has “immense” archaeological significance, particularly to Anishinàbe Algonquin communities. The lake is believed to have been a gathering place for First Nations from throughout North America for 1000’s of years, the place they’d commerce meals, items and information.
“It’s the largest complex of pre-European sites that is currently known in the Ottawa River drainage basin,” Badgley stated.
Tenasco stated the group has discovered items of pottery, arrowheads, hand instruments and different proof of historical Indigenous exercise. The work to uncover extra of those artifacts is compromised when the group’s instruments are tampered with, she stated.
As a outcome, discipline faculty officers at the moment are taking precautions to guard the dig website, together with cancelling public digs on weekends for the remainder of the month.
The faculty has additionally reported the incident to the NCC, which instructed Radio-Canada it was contemplating submitting a police report.
