Graduate Coordinator, Professor Campus: Thunder Bay
Office Location: BB 2001C
Phone Number: +1 807-343-8010ext 8204
Email: tvarney@lakeheadu ca
Dr. Jessica Metcalfe
Assistant Professor Campus: Thunder Bay
Office Location: BB 2001D
Phone Number: +1 807-343-8010ext 8276
Email: jmetcal1@lakeheadu ca
Dr. Martha Dowsley
Associate Professor, Graduate Coordinator Campus: Thunder Bay
Office Location: RC 2006H, BB0029L (Lab)
Phone Number: +1 807-343-8010ext. 8658
Email: mdowsley@lakeheadu.ca
Clarence Surette
Bio-Archaeology Technician
Personnel, Technician
Campus: Thunder Bay
Office Location:
Phone Number:
Email:
Dr. Tim Kaiser Professor Campus: Orillia
Office Location: OA 3008
Phone Number: +1 705-330-4010ext. 2611
Email: tkaiser@lakeheadu.ca
Dr. Frederico Oliveira
Associate Professor Campus: Orillia
Office Location: OR 1041
Phone Number: +1 705-330-4010ext 2711
Email: foliveir@lakeheadu ca
Dr. Matthew Tocheri
Canada Research Chair in Human Origins
Associate Professor Campus: Thunder Bay Office Location: BB 2001I
Phone Number: +1 807-343-8010ext 8568
Email: mtocheri@lakeheadu.ca
Staff
Chris McEvoy
Personnel, Technician
Campus: Thunder Bay
Office Location: BB0006
Phone Number:
+1 807-343-8010ext 8278
Email: cmcevoy@lakeheadu ca
Jennifer McKee
Administrative Assistant Campus: Thunder Bay
Office Location: BB 2001 (Anthro)
Phone Number:
+1 807-343-8010ext 8357,
Email: jennifer mckee@lakeheadu ca
In 2023 Lakehead University and the Department of Anthropology conducted an archaeological field school from May 1st the 19th. Instructed by Dr. Jill TaylorHollings, the field school was also supported by Woodland Heritage Northwest (Dr. Dave Norris and Arlene Lahti) and the Niijii Indigenous Mentorship Program. For a three-week period, students, Indigenous community members, and departmental staff/faculty converged along the banks of the McIntyre River to learn about the fundamentals of archaeology. Such methods include surveying and excavation techniques, recordkeeping, and material culture identification. Interpretation of the sites suggests that the cultural deposits are approximately 4,000-5,00 years old, which represents a time when people lived on the ancient shore of Lake Superior. In the future, we hope to revisit such important cultural sites with further training programs.
Four researchers and their community partners were honoured at the C2UExpo 2023 Gala Awards dinner held at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay on Wednesday, June 7.
Dr. Scott Hamilton, Professor in Anthropology at Lakehead University, with Dr. Jill TaylorHollings, Clarence Surette and Chris McEvoy from Anthropology, and William Dumas, Knowledge Keeper and main author of the book series Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak, received the Indigenous Research Partnership Award from Lakehead University
The Six Seasons project is mainly funded by a $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership grant, the major objective of which is to support the ongoing work of reclaiming Indigenous languages, histories, and knowledges among the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak (Rocky Cree). This research is taking place now in the context of the calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) for, among many other things, the revitalization of Indigenous cultures, the relearning of Canada’s national history, and moving towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. At the heart of the Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak project is the development of a cycle of historical picture books set during the proto-contact period of the mid-1600s, a series of digital picture book apps that invite players to actively engage the Rocky Cree world, curriculum guides to support the use of both books and apps in classrooms The creation of the stories is rooted in archaeological field and collections research, as well as in historical research in archives and the documentation of oral histories held by Rocky Cree knowledge keepers.
A core value of the project is respect for historical and cultural accuracy
Last June (2023), an episode of Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown aired which highlighted the search for two WW1 era minesweepers that sank in Lake Superior in 1918. Integral to the show were the efforts of Lakehead University members Tom Collins (NRM Forestry graduate), Dr. Scott Hamilton, and Chris McEvoy (Anthropology), with the latter serving as the licensed archaeologist on the project. Behind the scenes of the search, the LU team was focused on testing experimental autonomous technology with the development of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV). Throughout the expedition, the LU team utilized this USV to collect bathymetric and sonar data of Quebec Harbour and the surrounding shoals and reefs of Michipicoten Island. Though no evidence of either minesweeper was found, the trip provided a great opportunity to test the capabilities and limits of the autonomous technology in a “real-world” scenario. The hope is to develop additional USVs to further learn about submerged sites throughout the north shore of Lake Superior and the region’s many lakes.
During the 2024 Research and Innovation Week, Dr Scott Hamilton provided a public lecture regarding his experience helping search for and identify unmarked graves at former residential schools. Titled “Bearing witness to tragedy: The search for unmarked graves at Indian Residential schools’, the presentation focuses on the methodologies and its limitations, how to build local technical capacity, and how communities seek to retain sovereignty over the results of this work. Dr Hamilton also discussed how academics, and their institutions, must view such projects as a “service" that is unlikely to satisfy conventional academic objectives.
Profile
Scott Hamilton is a professor in the Lakehead University Department of Anthropology. He is an archaeologist and ethnohistorian who specializes in the northern plains and subarctic, with a career that straddles academic and applied research Over the past decade, he has been involved in Indian Residential School investigations, first as a researcher with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and more recently as a resource person serving various Indigenous communities that have begun the search for unmarked graves.
Taylor’s master’s thesis explores carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotopes in various tissues of mammals native to the boreal forest to study food webs, nutrient routing and potential variability in isotopic offsets. These will enhance conclusions drawn from zooarchaeological materials
Taylor has also worked on the Late Bronze Age (ca 1700-1050 BCE) site of Eleon, Greece where she gained experience in the excavation of artifacts and architecture, identifying diagnostic pottery elements, operating, and deciphering ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment and data and identifying faunal remains.
TaylorBelot
My name is Taylor Belot, and I am in my 3rd year of the Master of Archaeological Science program in the Anthropology department at Lakehead studying under Dr. Jessica Metcalfe. I am from Edmonton, AB and completed my BSc. in Biology in 2021 with a minor in Greek and Roman studies at the University of Victoria in BC. I had originally planned to pursue a career as a veterinarian but was encouraged by mentors to apply my biochemistry experience to my interest in Greek and Mediterranean history as a bioarchaeologist.
Over the years, the departmental technicians have been busy developing strategies for making the archaeological collections more accessible. Such methods employ the use of laser and structured light scanners to render models of real cultural items within micrometers of accuracy. By placing these 3D models online (Sketchfab), anyone with an internet connection can view and examine the departmental collections.
Another way of making the collections more accessible is the use of 3d printing technology. The Anthropology Department is home to four 3D printers that utilize a variety of materials (one gypsum, one plastic, and two resin), to recreate physical objects. The aim is to provide communities, museums, and research institutions with high quality replicas of real cultural items.
