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In 2008 and 2009 Simon Fraser University and Tla’amin First Nation conducted a collaborative archaeological survey of Desolation Sound Marine Park, British Columbia.

Tla'amin Traditional Territory with
Desolation Sound and our study area circled in red

The Tla’amin have extensive documentation of their traditional land use practices, oral histories, place names, and stories related to their land and natural resources. However, very little is known about the archaeology of this region.

Our survey used a combination of pedestrian survey, percussion coring, and shovel testing to locate new sites and redefine boundaries of the previously recorded sites. We mapped sites with compass and tape and with a total station. This archaeological survey data has brought together with Tla’amin traditional knowledge to present a multi-dimensional view of a Tla’amin cultural landscape.

Desolation Sound Midden	Microblade Core
Compass and Tape site map	Percussion Coring

These show some of the ways we gathered information about the heritage sites once they were located. Clockwise from top left: we take photos of the site (shell midden), look for and photograph artifacts that have eroded out of it (microblade core), we draw a map of it (Desolation Site Map), and sometimes take small core samples (percussion coring). Click all photos above to enlarge!

Lisa Wilson at an ancient house in Desolation Sound

Overview | Mapping | Excavation | Intertidal Sites | Next