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The Blackfoot Historical Park near Cluny, Alberta is home to a host of significant
events in the history of the province. It’s where Treaty 7 was signed; it’s a burial
ground for several significant aboriginal leaders; and under its soil rest the remains
of an ancient village that holds the secrets to uncovering Alberta’s past.
“People are curious about our history and it’s my job to find out more about that,” says
Leanne Gladstone, a fourth-year archaeology student. “Knowing our history helps us
chart our path forward. It defines who we are right now and helps us build understanding
and respect for who we are. I hope my work can play a part in helping us work better as
a society today and going forward.”
Gladstone was part of a team that excavated a 20-metre long ditch in hopes of
understanding if settlers came 250 years ago from North Dakota to live on the site. The
group found artifacts like quill flatteners, beads and lithics that all added more
information to the knowledge of plains archaeology. Gladstone focused her work on
sampling sediment to find microbotanical remains to provide clues about how the land
was used and who was there.
“It was really exciting being part of the dig. I was amazed at how much soil can tell us
about how prehistoric groups once lived,” says Gladstone. “But the most interesting
part was learning how important it is to build relationships in order to be able to do a
good job. In this situation, the aboriginal people we worked with added their oral history
and provided valuable insights that helped us do better archaeology.”
“It was a privilege to work with the Blackfoot people at the site, as well as all my
professors and classmates,” says Gladstone.
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