Applying Canine Detection in Support of Collaborative Archaeology

John Grebenkemper,Adela Morris,Laurel Engbring,Brian F Byrd

doi:10.1017/aap.2021.12

Abstract

AbstractThis article explores the use of specially trained canines to detect the location of human burials in nonmodern archaeological contexts. It discusses the history of the discipline, training and field methods, the importance of developing a working relationship with descendant communities, project examples, an assessment of canine detection effectiveness, and ways to select a canine detection team. The article highlights how the application of canine detection training and protocols to the archaeological record makes it possible to locate potential precontact Native American burial areas without ground disturbance. In some cases, probable burial areas located by canines can be confidentially mapped to ensure avoidance during upcoming construction projects. For a variety of reasons, many Native American communities have been wary of embracing this new method to locate ancestral burials. Today, however, canine detection is widely accepted by many tribal groups in California to locate ancestral burials that might be impacted by construction. Although additional controlled studies and rigorous field laboratory experiments are needed to understand the range of variation in efficacy fully, available results in both North America and Europe demonstrate that specially trained canines can often accurately locate human burials that are more than a thousand years old to within a few meters.

Highlights

This article explores the use of specially trained canines to detect the location of human burials in nonmodern archaeological contexts
For a variety of reasons, many Native American communities have been wary of embracing this new method to locate ancestral burials
Given that canine alerts were concentrated in the cremation burial area, the results strongly indicate that Historic Human Remains Detection (HHRD) dogs can identify ancient cremations (Figure 4)

Summary

Introduction

This article explores the use of specially trained canines to detect the location of human burials in nonmodern archaeological contexts. The use of canines to identify the presence of human remains in varied archaeological contexts is still being refined, canine detection represents a powerful noninvasive remote sensing technique that can be employed as a complement to existing geophysical remote sensing methods As such, it has broad application, and its demonstrable efficacy may appeal to Indigenous communities, archaeological researchers, and land managers, providing an opportunity to unite these sometimes disparate groups under the common goal of protecting burial grounds and mortuary integrity. The use of canine detection to locate potential ancestral burials without ground disturbance is widely accepted and promoted by many California tribal communities because it represents one of the most effective ways to identify, protect, and avoid archaeological or construction-related ground disturbance to mortuary areas. Select Native American project examples and results are provided, followed by an assessment of canine detection effectiveness and current limitations, considerations in selecting a canine detection team for a project, and a conclusion

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion