Celebrating six years of Dig It column

In early spring 2017, a group of local archaeologists came together to discuss growing concerns about the destruction of heritage in our region.

The group — a dozen professionals, including me, with expertise in the archaeology of the Interior Plateau — was alarmed by an uptick in destruction of archaeological sites and the illicit trade of local artifacts online.

At the same time, we’d noticed a keen interest in the community to learn more about local archaeology and the Indigenous histories beneath their feet.

And so the Dig It column was born. Six years later, 17 archaeologists have produced 125 pieces aimed at bringing our buried heritage to life.

With our first column in May 2017, we’ve fostered a crucial conversation with the community about the deep Indigenous history in our region and what heritage means to all of us. And we’ve just brought the whole catalogue together in one place for continued easy access: republicofarchaeology. ca/dig-it-column.

Of course, many of our columns address the nuts and bolts of archaeology: how it works, what it is and is not (see What archaeologists do and don’t do, Oct. 28, 2020), and how some of the foundational concepts like context (see

Context — Putting it all together, Sept. 16, 2020) and stratigraphy (see Stratigraphy in Depth, Nov. 12, 2019) help archaeologists make sense of the past.

We’ve been delighted to introduce readers to the many scales of archaeological research and thought — from global phenomena of human history (see After the ice age: The First Peoples in the Kamloops area?, Feb. 20, 2018) to the personal, human experience (Finding the Individual in Archaeology, March 4, 2020), and even a single meal in time (Timeless cooking: Soup season on the Interior Plateau, Jan 11, 2023).

Many of our columns take a deeper dive into a specific area of archaeological study, such as plants (see Archaeobotany: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Plants, Sept. 6, 2017) and others look at hallmarks of the local archaeological record like pithomes, cache pits and earth ovens (see Exploring Cultural Depressions, July 26, 2017).

We’ve made an effort to cover archaeological basics like stone tool technology (see What’s in a flake?, Nov. 11, 2020), but also introduce some trickier concepts, like intangible cultural heritage (What’s missing from the archaeological record, Aug. 4, 2020).

We’ve tackled some practical issues about the legal frameworks of archaeology (Call Before You Dig: Understanding BC’s Heritage Conservation Act, March 16, 2021), as well as answered common ques- tions that can help readers understand how real-world archaeology gets done (see Who foots the archeology bill?, April 18, 2019).

Crucially, we’ve aimed to be a forum to learn more about the history of the Secwépemc people whose land we’re living on (see Archaeology Blankets the Valley, Sept. 21, 2017) and how culture is reflected in archaeological sites (see Secwépemc calendar welcomes Pellkwetmin (stay at home month), Jan. 5, 2021).

We’ve included discussions on the intersections of Indigenous oral history and archaeology (Nov. 1, 2017), as well as reflections on Indigenous-engaged practice (Documenting lessons learned , July 7, 2021).

We’ve used the Dig It column to share knowledge about the history of the environment around us (see Archaeology of Disasters Sept. 28, 2021), and how we can prepare to live in it as it continues to change (see The Need for Good Smoke, April 27, 2022).

Many columns written in response to current events aimed to provide clarity from a scientific perspective (see How DNA can be used to answer questions about ancestry, June 23, 2021), and to offer help understanding difficult subjects like the residential school burials (see Probing the voids of history, June 8, 2021).

Equally difficult, the Dig It column has been committed to educating readers on the historic and ongoing effects of colonialism (see The Proof is under the Pavement, July 24, 2019) and the special role archaeology plays in helping to correct colonial narratives that have skewed Indigenous histories (see The inconvenient truth of Indigenous archaeology, Feb. 20, 2019).

Hand in hand with this truthtelling, we share how heritage can be a tool of reconciliation both locally and across B.C. (see Reconciliation in a time of transformation, Oct. 12, 2022).

As working archaeologists, we’ve looked at how the field is not only changing in material ways (see Digital archaeology goes paperless, May 26, 2021), but is also undergoing conceptual and philosophical shifts that are moving the very foundation of our work (see To dig or not to dig, Feb. 8, 2023).

Part of this, of course, includes looking at the people who practise in the field (see The patience and focus of an archaeologist, April 1, 2020) and those who are not as well represented (see Why diversity matters in archaeology, July 22, 2020).

We sincerely hope our collective efforts over the past six years have brought insight, entertainment, and education to readers of KTW and beyond.

In a noisy landscape of competing media, we’re grateful for your readership and for the opportunity to be writing for an open, thoughtful and engaged community.

We look forward to continuing the conversation.

Joanne Hammond is a Kamloops-based archeologist. Interested in more? Go online to republicofarchaeology.ca.