Before the Flood
Large hydroelectric projects can have devastating effects for Indigenous peoples. Archaeological impact assessment and mitigation—often planned and carried out with limited engagement of local descendant communities—may be viewed by those communities as having a negative impact. How can archaeology carried out in this context better address community objectives and concerns? In this article, we describe an archaeology program carried out between 2003 and 2009 by the Crees of Eeyou Istchee, on two related hydroelectric projects. We focus on Cree efforts to preserve their cultural heritage through the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Program (ACHP). In the ACHP, archaeology was but one component of a broad program aimed at compiling a cultural and historical archive of the affected areas, carrying out educational programs for Cree youth, and celebrating and commemorating the land. The ACHP involved a high degree of community involvement and control as well as close collaboration with Cree elders and land-users. Cree knowledge and community-oriented methods were critical in determining the results. This paper examines both the challenges faced by the ACHP and the results, and concludes that such projects can both improve the scientific quality of archaeological research and at the same time, in at least a small way, promote community healing and reconnection with the land and ancestral traditions.