This week on Wild Archaeology, we return to Richards Island, located in the Beaufort Sea.
If you recall, Dr. Max Friesen of the University of Toronto and his team are in a race against weather and climate change to gather information and artifacts from a traditional cruciform home, in their quest to gain greater understanding of the ancient Inuvialuit people.
We visit with Rosalie Scott, conservator of Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, who explains how the found artifacts are to be stored, stabilized and the proper way to pack these items for shipment back to the lab.
Then it’s off to Tuktoyaktuk—where the descendants of Richards Island now live—to meet Boogie Pokiak, a traditional Inuvialuit hunter who explains some of the history of the land and gives Jacob and Jenifer an opportunity to taste local foods, including muktuk.
Finally, we go to Dr. Friesen’s lab at the University of Toronto to look at some of the better finds from this excavation.
This episode was a bit of a departure from the previous few. Very little excavation was to be had; instead, we focused on some of the cultural aspects that are so important for understanding the context of the finds on these digs.
This week’s tally? Jacob: closed end harpoon head. Jenifer: no finds. Jacob is still in the lead!
Wild Archaeology airs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.