TSE'K'WA: INNOVATION, COLLABORATION & COMMUNITY
The museum and the Treaty 8 Tribal Association (T8TA) and the Tse'K'wa Heritage society (THS) worked together to create this educational project. Our work uses digitization to create exhibits to provide education materials for indigenous communities in the Peace River Region of northeastern BC. This collaboration is a continuation of a long relationship between 丁香园AV, T8TA, and THS.
To access all the teaching resources available in this kit, please click here.
ASSOCIATED PAGES
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
This project is a keystone in the collaboration between the T8TA and the museum. We combine research and excavations 丁香园AV began in the 1970s, with the efforts of students working with a private collection as well as the educational goals expressed by the T8TA. In 2012, the museum accepted this collection from a Peace River farmer, but we wanted to return it to the T8TA once students had had a chance to learn from it.
With this project, we demonstrate our recognition of the value of primary sources in First Nations historical and archaeological research and interpretation. Our goal is to preserve digital access to original documents and assets as well as expand the primary sources available to searches on the web in a form that is accessible to First Nations youth in northern BC.
TSE'K'WA: DIGITAL LITHICS EXHIBIT
This exhibit features a selection of one hundred photographs from a collection of over one thousand lithics. The stone tools were gathered over a period of 60 years by a farmer in the Peace River region. The museum accepted these artifacts under the condition that we could return these artifacts to the descendent communities in the area.
TESTING WITH X-RAY FLUORESCENSE
X-ray fluorescense (pXRF) is a tool used by archaeologists to analyze the chemical components of artifacts. By investigating the Tse'K'wa collection using XRF we learned more about the geology, chemistry, and geography involved in ancient resources used by Indigenous people in the Peace River region.
JOURNEY TO A NEW LAND: GLACIAL AND POST-GLACIAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF NORTH AMERICA
Thousands of years ago massive glaciers covered North America. They scoured the land and created new features that had a profound effect on how people lived and survived in the past. The Peace River region was shaped by these forces and the effects of the last glacial period still affect lives today - where we live, how we travel across the land, and even economically. This exhibit offers some insights into the principles that allow us to understand the past and enable us to envision the ancient landscapes where people lived for thousands of years.
CHARLIE LAKE CAVE
Charlie Lake Cave is a nearby archaeological site that has similar tools. In 1974 Knut Fladmark, professor emeritus, excavated at Charlie Lake Cave Site (CLC) with subsequent excavations in the 1980s, and again in the 1990s by Jon Driver. Their research into the ice-free corridor hypothesis of the original peopling of North America helped establish the pre-contact use of CLC by the indigenous peoples. On May 29, 2012 the First Nations of Doig River, Prophet River, and West Moberly purchased the land containing Charlie Lake Cave. Their intention is to reclaim this land and use it once again as cultural heritage 鈥� an active and interactive landscape.
Work is still being done at this site however; this page explores the findings of the initial excavations at Charlie Lake Cave conducted by Dr. Jon Driver.
3D SCANNING
3D scanning is a method in which a laser or light takes distance point measurements of an object in order to recreate the object in digital form with high detail. The data collected from 3D scanning can then be used in 3D printing to create replicas.
ACTIVITIES
MAKING STONE TOOL HANDLES
Learn how to create stone tool handles (hafts) and explore tool morphology and use through different hafting styles.
MAKING SILICONE MOLDS
Learn how to make silicone molds in order to make replicas of stone tools with this step by step guide.
MAKING BIRCH BARK BASKETS
Learn how to make paper versions of birch bark baskets with this instruction guide.
PHOTO MATCHING GAME
Answer questions, based on the Tse'K'wa project's associated pages, by finding the correct picture. If you can answer all 10 you will win a special prize!
COLORING PAGES
A selection of coloring pages with glacial, and post-glacial animals, as well as tools (lithics) that were used by early populations in North America. All files can be downloaded using the .pdf link located below the image preview
LITHIC CODEBREAKER
Answer questions about various stone tools, based on the Tse'K'wa digital lithics exhbit, in order to break the code and unlock a prize!
PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT
Learn more about Northeastern British Columbia, archaeological sites, and the peopling of America with this fun activity that will have you searching all over the website.
COOPERATION CARD GAME
Play this card game and learn more about how stone tools were used in the past while engaging with friends/classmates.
The Tse'K'wa project was completed over a span of two years and during that time has had many contributors. This project could not have been completed without the help and hard work from Dr. Barbara Winter, Karen Aird, Kristen McLaughlin, Elizabeth Labrecque, Elizabeth Peterson, Shea Henry, Robyn Ewing, Melissa Rollit, Rob Rondeau, Chantel Smeysters, Katherine Lutyen, Dr. Rudy Reimer, Denee Renouf, and Mandy Nilson.
Many thanks to Mr. Len Donaldson of Rolla, BC for taking action to ensure the lithic collection be preserved, and for his willingness to have the collection turned over to the Treaty 8 Tribal Association.