Survey Déjà Vu: Lessons Learned from the Archaeological Re-mapping of a Métis Overwintering Settlement

Abstract

Although the advantages of archaeological remote sensing have long been known, the techniques have still not been fully incorporated into standard archaeological practice. Drawing upon the example of an archaeological remote sensing survey conducted in April 2022 and subsequent excavation in July 2022 at the Chimney Coulee site (DjOe-6) in Saskatchewan, we demonstrate the value of the integration of remote sensing methods early and throughout an entire project. Over the span of five days, we were able to use drone-based light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and orthoimagery, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and magnetic gradiometry alongside more traditional archaeological survey methods to survey the site and locate two probable late nineteenth-century Métis cabins. The use of remote sensing techniques allowed for the efficient identification of future excavation areas and comparisons to previous mapping work and generated new questions about the site. This paper provides a methodological example of non-invasive archaeological survey for non-specialists and demonstrates how students and early career researchers can play an important role in the advancement of Canadian archaeology by experimenting with new ways of conducting archaeological survey and mapping.