Searching for Ancestors: Adding a GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) Module to the Musqueam-UBC Archaeological Field School Project

TitleSearching for Ancestors: Adding a GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) Module to the Musqueam-UBC Archaeological Field School Project
Faculty/College/UnitArts
StatusCompleted
Duration1 Year
Initiation04/01/2008
Completion03/31/2009
Project Summary

The Musqueam Indian Band (MIB) has asked UBC's Laboratory of Archaeology to assist in the location and mapping of burials within Musqueam territory through the archaeological field course (ANTH306) using ground penetrating radar (GPR). A GPR module for ANTH306 is a research innovation, not only initiated at the request of the Musqueam community, but also enthusiastically endorsed by ANTH306 students in 2007. It represents the active role that Musqueam elders and historians have taken in assisting with student learning and the research direction of the field school. It provides a venue through which archaeological views of the past can be compared with indigenous knowledge. This comparison is a key component of the undergraduate learning experience for archaeology students working with descent communities such as First Nations. It is also a sophisticated form of archaeological technique that, as heritage resources become increasingly protected, will become a standard of research practice in the research and private-sector branches of archaeology in Canada and around the world. Including a GPR component will elevate ANTH306 to the highest standard of archaeological training in Canada as well as helping students fulfill UBC's Trek 2010 mandate of acting as reasonable global citizens with particular awareness of First Nations people.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2008/2009
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorAndrew Martindale
Year 1: Funded Amount70,000
Year 1: Team Members

Andrew Martindale, Anthropology, Faculty of Arts
Susan Rowley, Anthropology, Faculty of Arts
Leona Sparrow, Director, Musqueam Indian Band Treaty
Hector Williams, Classics, Near Eastern and Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts
Steve Daniel, Student, Anthropology