Volunteer Archaeology in and around Calgary

Ok, so you’ve always wanted to dabble in a little archaeology but you’re not quite ready to take the big leap and go on the best dig ever (svgdigs).  Well, stay local and try your hand at a couple of volunteer programs around Calgary. If you’re an avid enthusiast, join the Archaeological Society of Alberta and keep up to date on all future events. Then, when you’ve got the bug, you can think about joining us in the Caribbean…

1. July 11 to 29, Bar U Ranch, near Longview, Alberta. Work on a real dig and get to enjoy everything Bar U has to offer. Open to the public, ages 15 and older. Contact Bar U Ranch for details (David: 709 533-3127 or david.saunders@pc.gc.ca)

2. July 18, Pine Coulee (west of Stavely, Alberta).  Volunteers may be involved in mapping and recording tipi rings, effigies and drive lanes, locating and recording erratics and cottonwood groves, photographing rock art. Contact Lindsay for details: lmamunds@ucalgary.ca or (403) 370-8467.

Thieves have a change of heart

It appears that a sacred stone, weighing 453 kg, was taken from Indian Battle Park near Lethbridge, Alberta, a site that commemorates the 1870 Battle of the Belly River between the Cree and the Blackfoot (they would sign a treaty one year later).  The medicine stone, sacred to the Blackfoot, was mysteriously returned the next day!  See the article in the Calgary Herald here.

The stone was reported missing by Fort Whoop-Up employees; it appeared to have been removed via a front-end loader.  Its theft is a mystery – how do you steal a giant stone without anyone noticing?  Its return is also a mystery – a troop of boy scouts had heard a loud thump, only to see a front end loader dropping off the stone.  Apparently they couldn’t catch the machine or identify the operator – that thing must’ve been pretty far away because they certainly don’t travel very fast.

My theory is that the thieves had second thoughts about stealing such a sacred stone.  Perhaps they learned about the significance of historic resources?!  That’s what I’d like to think.

Thanks LA for the tip!

Walk back in time at Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is claimed to be one of the world’s oldest, largest and best-preserved buffalo jumps (that we currently know about).  What is a buffalo jump, you might ask?  Well, it’s where North American Indians “led” Bison along the prairie towards the edge of a cliff, where they eventually fell to their death.  A clever hunting technique where you kill (more than) two birds with one stone.

Head Smashed-In is a living testament to the ancient practices of Alberta’s native peoples, and is a great place for kids of all ages to learn about archaeology.  On Wednesday, May 4, renowned Alberta archaeologist, Jack Brink, will be giving a guided tour of the 5,700 year old drive lanes and other significant archaeological sites in the area.  The drive lanes are not generally open to the public, so take the day off, hop in your car, and spend the day roaming where the buffalo roamed.  (Call first!)

Site protection at its finest

There was finally an open window of dry, warm weather – hurrah!  Archaeologists all over the world cheer for this.  This means we are able to get back outside and dig some holes without having to wear and lug around excess gear.  Yesterday, this involved revisiting a known stone feature site, which happened to be a cairn right in the middle of an access road.  If you have ever wondered if developers listen when they say they’re going to protect something, here is proof.  Finding this made our job much easier, and it brought a little smile to my face.  It’s nice to see archaeology well protected; this is VERY well protected!

Free photo fun with Photoscape

My mother is having a milestone birthday on the 23rd (Happy Birthday! <3) so I am, hmmm, randomly playing with photos for no reason whatsoever.  Being a big fan of the Hipstamatic application for the iPhone, I wanted to recreate these effects with regular old non-iPhone pics.  Lo’ and behold: Photoscape – free and easy photo editing software, with tons of options for frames, filters and processing.  Check out what I did with a standard photo of Majorville Medicine Wheel.  Did I mention that it’s free?  (Please donate if you can.)

Before Photoscape

After Photoscape, with adjustments to levels, contrast and colour, plus #3 Vignetting, Cali 12 Frame and Cross Process High Film Effect. Fun!

Photo Fun

When people think of archaeology photos, they likely think of some of the Ancient Wonders of the World – beautiful structures, romantic ruins, lush landscapes… But in Alberta, most of my photos are fields of pasture.  If I’m lucky, there’ll be some rocks in the photo.  These rocks are often quite significant, and can sometimes be quite beautiful (perhaps a stretch?)…

Luckily, in this day and age, we can make our photos much more dramatic and beautiful than real life itself.  Enter The Photojojo Store (thanks again to MG for the tip).  This shop has all the coolest gear and accessories not only for your SLR and instant cameras, but also for your iPhone.  In fact, my iPhone has sometimes replaced my waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, crushproof Olympus for taking photos because, frankly, it’s handy and it can take great pics (though it cannot replace it in the water; I learned that the hard way).  And now I can add filters, use wide-angle, macro and/or fish-eye lenses to my iPhone to make all my boring photos come to life!

Buy the Fisheye, Macro, and Wide Angle Camera Phone Lenses at the Photojojo Store!