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What is an archaeological site?

• The remnants of human activity
• Places where people:
  • Lived, worked & played
  • Hunted animals
  • Quarried minerals
  • Harvested timbers
  • Collected shellfish & berries
  • Held ceremonies
  • Buried their dead

• Over 32,000 sites have been recorded in BC so far; more than 50 in Tla'Amin Territory

Archaeological Sites are Heritage Sites!

• According to Provincial Law heritage sites are land that has historic cultural, aesthetic, scientific or educational value to BC, a community, or First Nations
• This includes archaeological sites, heritage wrecks, and historic buildings

 

Why protect sites?

• People have lived in BC for at least 12,000 years; they left no written records for 98% of this time
• Oral traditions and archaeology are great ways to understand how people lived in the past
• Sites are non-renewable resources; they cannot be remade or recreated. Once sites are destroyed we lose this precious link to the past... Forever!

Who protects sites?

• First Nations, local communities, the RCMP, and the Archaeology Branch
• The Archaeology Branch encourages and facilitates the protection, conservation, and public appreciation of BC’s archaeology

 

How are sites protected?

• The Heritage Conservation Act designates and protects archaeological sites in BC dating before 1846 on both public and private land
• The Act prohibits the alteration, destruction, and excavation of sites without a permit
• Penalties for violating the Act are up to $50,000 and/or two years in prison for individuals, and up to $1,000,000 for a corporation