When the Squamish Nation鈥檚 Dr. Rudy Reimer began his study of archaeology and cultural history, he was angry, 鈥渏ust like every other Indigenous person.鈥� Angry at the way academia viewed archaeology through an outsider鈥檚 perspective, angry that the deep well of Indigenous knowledge wasn鈥檛 being incorporated into the discipline, angry at the rigidity of a field of study with a checkered past in the Western world.
鈥淭he history of the discipline of archaeology is actually quite dark,鈥� Reimer said in an online talk last week organized by the Whistler and Squamish public libraries. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to sound too political here, but it鈥檚 very colonial. It鈥檚 about the investigation of other peoples鈥� histories. When we think about how that is done through the excavation, the analysis and interpretation of those materials, it鈥檚 very different from what Indigenous people would say.鈥�
Reimer, whose Indigenous name is Yumks, is a professor at Simon Fraser University who has played a crucial role in bridging the divide between the stodgy halls of academia and the Indigenous communities where archaeologists carry out their fieldwork.
In short, he鈥檚 taken an approach that not only draws on Indigenous knowledge, but actively involves First Nations in the retelling and sharing of their own histories in a way traditional scholarship never could鈥攂oth through his academic work and a consulting company he formed in the mid-鈥�90s to help Indigenous communities protect their sacred sites. That firm, First Heritage Archaeological Consulting, helped train Squamish Nation members鈥攊ncluding some of Reimer鈥檚 relatives鈥攖o carry out archaeological surveys, excavations and other work in their own communities.
He also played a hand in creating the interpretive signs and kiosks that identify important cultural sites along the Sea to Sky corridor leading up to the 2010 Olympics, as well as the 10-year Ut鈥檚am Witness Project, which eventually led to the protection of several sacred sites that are now an important part of the Squamish Nation鈥檚 land-use planning. (These days, the Nation controls close to 90 per cent of the forestry activity within its territory, Reimer said.)
鈥淐ulturally and in terms of heritage and archaeology here, what we were trying to achieve here is not just protecting dots on maps. We鈥檙e trying to protect the context of cultural heritage in a broader sense,鈥� he noted.
Reimer cited a lighthearted example of the ways direct community knowledge can inform archaeology. A lava flow on the slopes of Brohm Ridge known as Syexwa鈥檡鈥檃kalh to the Squamish people fascinated Reimer when he was a PhD student because he knew it literally translated to 鈥減ee underwater.鈥� Whenever he would mention it to elders, they would just chuckle. It wasn鈥檛 until Reimer actually visited the site that he noticed a small well bubbling up from the rock formation that drained into Brohm Creek. He took off his boots and socks, rolled up his pants, and dipped his toes into the soothing, warm water.听听
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if any of you have 鈥� ever had little ones that swam up to you in the pool, smiled and then the water got warm. You can understand the translation here,鈥� he said with a laugh. 鈥淭his is an example of cultural knowledge that you can only gain by going out on to the landscape. If you took this for face value on a map or on Google Earth, you wouldn鈥檛 really understand it.鈥�
Reimer has also helped spread awareness of important Indigenous sites across 小蓝视频 through his more high-profile work on TV series like APTN鈥檚 Wild Archaeology and 1491, not to mention a series of graphic novels planned for next year that will depict some of the oral history and stories of the Squamish people.
鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 enjoyable,鈥� he said of his media work. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an academic responsibility to present archaeology and cultural heritage in a meaningful way. But for me as an Indigenous person, it鈥檚 also a culturally meaningful way to make sure not just my community鈥檚 history but enabling other communities to have their history presented the way they want.鈥�
Ultimately, Reimer鈥檚 work reiterates that Indigenous knowledge 鈥渋sn鈥檛 just stories. It鈥檚 not legends. It鈥檚 real history,鈥� he said.听听
鈥淲hat this work enables academic researchers to do is really open up the community interpretation of findings. We as archaeologists, we look at these artifacts and these sites and we say it鈥檚 this. But what do people in the community say about them? That鈥檚 what I want to find out.鈥�
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