Pre-contact Indigenous agricultural systems in southwestern Manitoba

We aim to identify the different agricultural crops grown by Indigenous farmers in the Pierson Wildlife Management area in southwestern Manitoba prior to the arrival of European settlers. Agriculture was an important aspect of life for many Indigenous peoples living in southwestern Manitoba. Identifying plant remains associated with different crops will tell us about daily meals people ate. Identifying past farming practices through the same plant remains can inform us of the ways people grew domesticated and non domesticated plants, and how producing food may have organized their lives. Indigenous peoples had sophisticated food-getting and cultivation practices. Identifying these through archaeology helps challenge stereotypes of Indigenous peoples as foragers and decolonizes the history of agriculture in Canada.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mary Malainey

Student:

Partner:

Manitoba Archaeological Society

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Arts, entertainment and recreation

University:

Brandon University

Program: