“People think of Egypt, the Pyramids, the Greek Parthenon and the great Mayan cities when they hear the word archaeology,” says UNBC Anthropology and First Nations Studies professor Farid Rahemtulla. “Many don’t realize that British Columbia has a long and fascinating aboriginal history dating back to over 10,000 years.”

Dr. Rahemtulla will be the next speaker in the series Anthropology in Our Backyards. He will present an overview of the archaeology of the province at ArtSpace above Books and Company on April 7th at 7pm.

“We will be looking at some of the oldest archaeological sites on the Coast and in the Interior of B.C.” he explains. “These sites date back at least 10,000 years, and show evidence for human activities right after the disappearance of the glaciers.”

This talk will also examine the forces that shaped the land, including long-term environmental changes. Cedar and other forests, rivers and lakes, teeming with fish, came to cover lands once covered by ice. In this rich environment, powerful chiefdoms eventually emerged on the coast and parts of the Interior.

“The indigenous peoples of British Columbia thrived in these new environments using stone and bone technology to hunt, gather and fish in a diversity of landscapes,” says Dr. Rahemtulla. 

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