Bibliographic Information
Article Title
The Importance of Minimally Invasive Remote Sensing Methods in Huron-Wendat Archaeology
Journal Title
Advances in Archaeological Practice
Author(s)
Warrick, Gary and Glencross, Bonnie and Lesage, Louis
Month of Publication
May
Year of Publication
2021
Volume Number
9
Issue Number
3
Article Pages
238–49
Web Address (URL)
Additional Information
Language
English
Notes
Abstract
The Huron-Wendat have had their ancestors’ villages and burial sites investigated archaeologically for over 170 years. Past and ongoing land disturbance and invasive archaeological excavation have erased dozens of Huron-Wendat village sites in Ontario, hindering Huron-Wendat duty to care for their ancestors. Consequently, over the last 20 years, in addition to large-scale repatriation of ancestral remains, the Huron-Wendat have requested that archaeologists make every effort to avoid any further excavation of ancestral sites. This poses a new challenge for archaeologists about how to learn about the Huron-Wendat past with minimal disturbance to ancestral sites. Honoring the cultural responsibilities of the Huron-Wendat, the authors have employed minimally invasive remote sensing methods of investigation on Ahatsistari, a forested early seventeenth-century Huron-Wendat village site in Simcoe County, Ontario. Remote sensing methods (e.g., magnetic susceptibility survey, high-resolution soil chemistry sampling, and metal detector survey) have revealed village limits and the possible location and orientation of longhouses, providing essential information in support of the Huron-Wendat imperative to find, assess, and preserve as many of their archaeological sites as possible. This is to protect the ancestors, learn from the ancestors, and preserve ancestral sites and related landscapes for future generations.
Taxonomies
RPA Codes & Standards
- Adequate Preparation for Research Projects
- Appropriate Dissemination of Research
- Archaeologist's Responsibility to Employers and Clients
- Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public
- Integrity of Research Methodology
- Procedures for Field Survey or Excavation
- Specimen and Research Record Storage
Keywords & Terms
- Adequate Preparation
- Avoid, Discourage, and Report Unethical and Illegal Activity
- Burials and Human Remains
- Canadian Archaeology
- Consultation/Partnership with Affected Groups
- Consultation/Partnership with Indigenous Peoples
- Culturally Significant and/or Sacred Sites, Objects, and Places
- Employer/Client Relationships
- General Archaeological Ethics
- GPR and Remote Sensing
- Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
- Indigenous Archaeologies
- Indigenous, Tribal, Aboriginal Rights
- Integrity of Research Methodology and Field Procedures
- Knowledge Production
- Local, State, Federal, and Tribal Laws
- Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
- Multi-Vocal Forms of Practice
- Professional Relationships and Communication
- Professional Standards
- Protection and Non-Disclosure of Archaeological Sites
- Public Interest, Collaboration, Education, and Outreach
- Reflexivity
- Repatriation
- Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
- Stewardship
- Unmarked Graves
Topics & Issues
- Archaeological Ethics - Other
- Archaeological Societies and Codes of Ethics
- Collaboration in Archaeology (i.e. Communities, Non-Archaeologists, etc.)
- Community Archaeology and Participatory Research
- Conservation and Ethics
- Contract Archaeology
- Cultural Resource Management (CRM)
- Descendant, Resident, and Stakeholder Communities
- Destruction of Cultural Heritage
- Development vs. Conservation
- Ethical Dilemmas
- Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
- Heritage Erasure
- Historic/Cultural Resource/Site Preservation
- Human Remains and Ethical Practice
- Indigenous Archaeology: Perspectives and Issues
- Legislation and Archaeological Preservation
- Metal Detecting
- NAGPRA, Repatriation, and Indigenous Rights
- Public Archaeology
- Public Engagement, Outreach, and Education

