The Jemseg Crossing Archaeology Project: 30 years later
As a part of the assessment for a new route for the TransCanada Highway between Fredericton and Moncton, a major archaeological site was identified on the banks of the Jemseg River. The decision was taken to excavate the archaeological material that would otherwise be destroyed by the construction of the highway, and in August of 1996, what would become the largest excavation in eastern Canada began. As it was also the first major excavation taking place under the then relatively new environmental assessment legislation, the project team wanted to establish a strong precedent for how such projects would unfold, emphasizing principles and practices such as respectful, open communication and transparency with the public and leadership of Indigenous nations, involvement of Wolastoqiyik in all parts of the project, and the embedding of training and capacity building for Indigenous team members. At the time, those of us on the project saw ourselves as change-makers, seeking reconciliation through archaeology. In this presentation we reflect on the changes we made, and the challenges that remain ahead of us.
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Both Sue Blair and Ramona Nicholas established the early stages of their careers in archaeology through the Jemseg Crossing Archaeology Project.
Ramona Nicholas is the Director of the Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre at UNB, and is a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology. She has completed a graduate degree in anthropological archaeology, and has published and presented her research on archaeology, heritage, and the lives of Wabanaki Ancestors. In addition to being a Wolastoqiyik scholar, she is a traditional person and pipe carrier, and she leads ceremonial activities both within Wabanaki communities and with Wabanaki people, and for non-Indigenous people seeking reconciliation and knowledge. She is deeply connected to systems of support, healing, and trauma response in her community, and is committed to bringing the people of her community, including children and youth, into a relationship of understanding and respect with the Ancestors through teaching and ceremony.
Sue Blair is currently a Professor of Anthropology at UNB where she studies ancient Wabanaki material culture and lifeways, and examines the practices of archaeology through the lens of reconciliation at the interface between Western epistemologies and Indigenous rights and worldviews. She has worked extensively in collaboration with Wabanaki communities and researchers, and has published and presented these insights in both scholarly contexts and in community-accessible formats. Her insights into archaeological practice were strongly shaped by her role as the archaeological director for the Jemseg Crossing Archaeology Project.
