Working with the Huron-Wendat to Protect Archaeological Heritage in Ontario
Southern Ontario contains the remains of hundreds of Huron-Wendat archaeological sites. Dozens of sites have been disturbed or destroyed by land development, illegal artifact collection, and archaeological excavation over the last 150 years. Over the last two decades, the Huron-Wendat have repatriated over 2,000 ancestors and pushed the Ontario and municipal governments to better protect their ancestral heritage. Faced with Huron-Wendat demands to minimize disturbance of ancestral sites, archaeologists are developing new, sustainable approaches to Huron-Wendat archaeology. This paper addresses the practical, ethical, and political challenges facing Ontario-based archaeologists who wish to work in solidarity with the Huron-Wendat to ensure that their archaeological sites, artifacts, and ancestral human remains are protected from land development, artifact collecting, and unnecessary archaeological excavation.