Situating cultural heritage management: How the ȾEL¸IȽĆE / c̓əl̓íɫč Village in Cordova Bay informs the pasts, presents, and futures of BC Archaeology
| dc.contributor.author | Tarling, Gemma | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Thom, Brian | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-07T20:40:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-07T20:40:39Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.degree.department | Department of Anthropology | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Arts MA | |
| dc.description.abstract | This thesis provides a synthesis of the history of the archaeological management of the Coast Salish village, ȾEL¸IȽĆE / c̓əl̓íɫč, in Cordova Bay on Vancouver Island. Rather than being recorded as a single landscape-level archaeological site encompassing most of the Cordova Bay community in the present-day District of Saanich the village has been recorded in the provincial archaeological record as 20 distinct sites. In this schema, no direct connections have been made to recognize that these separately recorded sites are representative of activities occurring across one larger archaeological village. To explain this phenomenon, I analyse archaeological work that has happened in the Cordova Bay area and tie it to relevant shifts in how heritage management is governed both locally and provincially (District of Saanich and W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, 2021; McLellan & McDowell, 2024; Scambler, 2023a; Scambler, 2023b). In my findings, I outline how the Cordova Bay case study reveals that cultural heritage of Indigenous communities is not well represented in provincial heritage legislation. In accordance with Article 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Indigenous peoples have the right to protect and govern tangible heritage, which includes archaeological sites and landscapes. British Columbia has committed to upholding UNDRIP based on the 2019 adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) (British Columbia, 2019). However, irreparable destruction through activities governed by British Columbia through the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) happen on the ground to material histories in the present day (Mason, 2003; United Nations, 2007, p. 13-14). This thesis explores ways to bridge the gap between these disparate policy intentions and grounded realities through examining the role of the archaeologist and the need for Indigenous legal orders in governance and protection of archaeological sites. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22179 | |
| dc.language | English | eng |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.subject | BC Archaeology | |
| dc.subject | Cordova Bay | |
| dc.subject | Cultural heritage | |
| dc.subject | Indigenous jurisdiction | |
| dc.subject | ȾEL¸IȽĆE / c̓əl̓íɫč | |
| dc.title | Situating cultural heritage management: How the ȾEL¸IȽĆE / c̓əl̓íɫč Village in Cordova Bay informs the pasts, presents, and futures of BC Archaeology | |
| dc.type | Thesis |