University of Calgary Press

About the Book

A collection of papers exploring new directions in northern plains archaeological research.

Dedicated to the memory of Richard G. Forbis, this collection of papers presented by his students and colleagues represents more than a tribute to a pioneer and legend in Alberta archaeology.

Dick Forbis was seminal in putting archaeology in Alberta on the road it has taken and in establishing the field of cultural resource management. Throughout his career, he was passionate about many issues facing modern archaeology and imparted his concern and enthusiasm to his students and colleagues, seeking to push the boundaries of our preconceptions and encourage those around him to find answers to many difficult yet challenging questions.

In this spirit, the papers chosen for this collection focus on new directions in northern plains archaeological research and are a unique and topical contribution to modern archaeology.

About the Editors:

Jane Kelley is professor emerita in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Calgary and is a prominent scholar of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

Brian Kooyman is a professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Calgary. He has had major research projects at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and is co-director of the Wally’s Beach excavation site in southern Alberta.

With Contributions By: Brian Kooyman, Jane Kelley, Scott Raymond, Robert McGhee, J.F. Dormaar, Dale Walde, Michael C. Wilson, Paul McNeil, L.V. Hills, M. Shane Tolman, J. Rod Vickers, Trevor R. Peck, Gerald A. Oetelaar, Jack W. Brink, Elizabeth Robertson, and Alison Landals 

Praise for Archaeology on the Edge:

A worthwhile contribution to Great Plains studies . . . of interest to students and professionals alike.

—Raymond Le Blank, Great Plains Research 

Table of Contents

 

Introduction
Brian Kooyman & Jane Kelley

Remembering Dick Forbis
Scott Raymond

Between Racism and Romanticism, Scientism and Spiritualism: The Dilemmas of New World Archaeology
Robert McGhee

Manyberries Cairn DgOo-1, Alberta, Canada
J.F. Dormaar

Mortlach and One–Gun: Phase to Phase
Dale Walde

Editing the Cultural Landscape: A Taphonomic Perspective on the Destruction of Aboriginal Sites on the Northwest Plains
Paul McNeil, L.V. Hills, B. Kooyman & M. Shayne Tolman

Islands in a Sea of Grass: The Significance of Wood in Winter Campsite Selection on the Northwestern Plains
J. Rod Vickers & Trevor R. Peck

Stone Circles, Social Organization and Special Places: Forbis’ Skepticism Revisited
Gerald A. Oetelaar

The Lessons of Buffalo Bird Woman: Faunal Abundance and Representation from Plains Oral History
Jack W. Brink

Identification of Marrow Extraction in Zooarchaeological Assemblages Based on Fracture Patterns
Brian Kooyman

Communal Hunting as a Social Model for Paleoindian to Early Archaic Transition on the Plains
Elizabeth Robertson

Horse Heaven: Change in Late Precontact to Contact Period Landscape Use in Southern Alberta
Alison Landals