History of Nova Scotia ArchaeologyThe establishment of the Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science in 1862 marked the beginnings of professional archaeology in the province. The Institute held bimonthly meetings, organized field trips and published member's papers in the Proceedings and Transactions. It provided the organization for persons with archaeological interests and was in large part responsible for the archaeological fluorescence of the following five decades.The first articles published by the Institute reflect a problem-oriented approach to the excavation and description of archaeological sites in which site locations were sought, excavated and commented upon in relation to a specific scientific theory. Two of these early articles were "On the Occurrence of the Kjoekkenmoedding, on the Shores of Nova Scotia", which reports on the shell middens of St. Margarets Bay and Cole Harbour, and another account of a shell midden in an 1863 article by Reverend James Ambrose - "Some Accounts of the Petrel - the Sea Serpent - and the Albicore - as Observed at St. Margarets Bay - Together with a Few Observations on a Beach Mound, or Kitchen Midden, near French Village." These early articles display a good knowledge of the archaeological techniques of the day and illustrate that a healthy exchange of information with institutions such as the Smithsonian was occurring. The next series of articles published by the Nova Scotian Institute of Science showed a decline in archaeological research with the focus shifting to purely descriptive accounts that contributed little to an understanding of the prehistoric period. Gilpin described the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia using Lescarbot's Nova Francia as a source of information. In 1889 George Patterson published an article describing some archaeological sites and artifacts discovered in Nova Scotia. Harry Piers, the curator of the Nova Scotia Museum at the turn of the century, contributed several articles to the series including descriptions of artifacts in the collection of the Museum. One interesting area of research during this period was George Creed's recording of Mi'kmaq petroglyphs in southeastern Nova Scotia. Beginning in 1888, Creed recorded these drawings on stone at Kejimkujik and McGowan Lakes. Many of these tracings appeared in Garrick Mallory's important 1893 publication Picture Writing of the American Indians. From 1894 to 1912 archaeological research in the province came to a virtual standstill. The Nova Scotian Institute of Science became more interested in other scientific pursuits and no alternative organization existed to guide the interests of those few individuals who might have contributed to Nova Scotian archaeology. No further archaeological work was published until 1912 when an article by Harry Piers appeared in the Proceedings and Transactions of the Institute. This article presented all the known data on the Mi'kmaq, drawing information from the fields of archaeology, history and ethnology.
At the close of the nineteenth century, archaeology in Nova Scotia appears to have been healthy and on par with that in the rest of the continent. The period from 1840 to 1914 has been referred to as the Classificatory-Descriptive period of North American archaeology, and research here at the time fits this definition. Subsequently, throughout North America, archaeologists built upon the base provided by the Classificatory-Descriptive period to produce refined procedures for examining the archaeological past. In Nova Scotia this did not happen. By the time archaeologists once again began to practice in the province, too great a time period had elapsed to allow the early works to be of much use except as occasional references. The early findings could not easily be compared with modern data that was obtained using new techniques and more precise recording. From the time of the excavations of Smith and Wintemberg until the late 1950's archaeological research in Nova Scotia largely fell into a state of neglect. The only reported excavation from the period was C. Coatsworth Pinkney's work at the site of the Port Royal Habitation reconstruction. Otherwise, no professional excavations were conducted during this period and no publications issued. This pattern changed during the subsequent decade with a semi-revival of archaeology in Nova Scotia marked by two approaches to reseach. The National Museum of Canada, the Nova Scotia Museum and the R.S. Peabody Foundation co-sponsored the investigation of a complex Palaeo-Indian site at Debert. The site was excavated and analyzed in a thoroughly professional manner and is one of the best documented Palaeo-Indian sites in the Northeast. In marked contrast to the Debert excavation were investigations carried out by John Erskine at a number of prehistoric sites throughout the province. Erskine was an avid amateur archaeologist, often working with little funding, whose lasting contribution was the recording of locations for a large number of archaeological sites. Although he contributed artifacts to the collections of the Nova Scotia Museum and the National Museum of Canada and published his findings in a series of annual reports entitled Micmac Notes, his excavations were not conducted to the professional standards of the period. Erskine did assimilate his findings into the rudimentary beginnings of a culture history of First People's settlement for Nova Scotia. Compared to elsewhere in North America, the subsequent growth of archaeology in Nova Scotia proceeded slowly, although several important developments occurred in the next two decades. Parks Canada conducted archaeological investigations at the Fortress of Louisbourg beginning with Russell Harper's work in 1959. An extensive excavation program tied to the reconstruction of this fortified French Period town is one of North America's best examples of directed archaeology. In 1968, the Nova Scotia Museum hired a professional archaeologist who undertook both research and the management of archaeological resources. The National Museum of Man (now the Canadian Museum of Civilization) returned to Merigomish in 1972 and has continued to be a presence in the region. St. Mary's University and St. Francis Xavier University both hired archaeologists in the 1970's. This development meant that students could be trained in archaeology in Nova Scotia for the first time. Parks Canada established an Atlantic Region Archaeology Section in Halifax in 1979 coinciding with research at Grassy Island National Historic Site. The other major area of archaeological growth in the province was the expansion of the resource conservation role. In 1980, Nova Scotia proclaimed the Special Places Protection Act that recognized the importance of our archaeological heritage and sought to protect archaeological resources. Archaeologists were employed by firms conducting impact studies and this role continues to be important today. Annual Workshops developed and hosted by the Heritage Division serve to further strengthen the growth of archaeology in the province. Finally, in an effort to promote archaeology to a wider audience, the Nova Scotia Archaeology Society was founded in 1987. This summary is an amended version from Sheldon (1984:2-10). For more detailed information on this topic you may wish to read Connolly (1977).
Connolly, John
Sheldon, Helen Louise |
In 1914 the National Museum of Canada began the study of shell midden sites at Merigomish
Harbour under the direction of Harlan I. Smith. This work was followed by W.J. Wintemberg's excavations at shell middens in Mahone Bay. A detailed account of their excavations was published by the Museum in 1929.
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