Ancestors Reburial Project

The original request to rebury these Ancestors came from a community member in the Medicine Hat area in 2017.

The Ancestors’ remains were uncovered on the side of Scholten Hill on private property as a result of animal (badger) activity in the area in July 1967. Excavations of the Ancestors' remains were conducted by individuals affiliated with a University of Alberta Archaeological Survey team who were in the Medicine Hat area on another archaeological dig.

Burial Site One contained the remains of a female who likely died between 50-60 years of age. Her features are consistent with having Indigenous ancestry, though the exact cultural relationship, or community of origin, cannot be determined by osteological remains. Her remains show that she may have had a child. Her remains do not give any indication as to how she died.

Burial Site Two and Burial Site Three were located about 55 metres (about 180 ft) north of Burial Site One. Burial Site Two contained the remains of an infant between 6 months to 1 year of age. Burial Site Three contained the remains of a child between 4-5 years of age. Other than being buried in close proximity, the relationship between the remains in burial sites two and three is unknown.

We do not know if Burial Site Two and Burial Site Three contained male or female remains. This is because the children had not yet gone through puberty, which changes bone structure. Therefore, it is not possible to confirm the sex or ancestry of children’s remains.

From the archeologists’ notes in 1967, we know that the remains in each burial site were laid east-west (but we do not know which direction the heads were facing), and that each burial was rimmed with cobblestones. We have reason to believe that these particular burial practices might suggest that the remains in Burial Site Two and Burial Site Three were also Indigenous. There is no evidence to suggest any relationship between the remains in each of the Burial Sites. University of Alberta anthropologists have used techniques that did not harm the remains to estimate that the Ancestors were buried for at least 80 years.

The Ancestors’ remains were brought to the University of Alberta in July 1967 and they have been housed in the Osteology collection in the Department of Anthropology. The circumstances of how they came to the University of Alberta relate to there being no existing legislation at the time outlining the care of archaeological human remains or unregistered burials. Due to this, archaeological remains were often turned over to the institution relevant to the researcher related to the excavation: in this instance, the University of Alberta. At the time, the Universities Act 1966 (since replaced by the Post-Secondary Learning Act) gave authority to the University of Alberta to collect human remains. The Post-Secondary Learning Act details that the board of a university is able to “demand, obtain, and use unclaimed [human remains]” for scientific and research purposes. While it is allowable, currently the Department of Anthropology no longer seeks to accession human remains into museum collections at the University of Alberta.

It has been confirmed that there are three Ancestors identified as part of the original discovery in 1967. Osteobiographies were performed on each of the Ancestors by the Curator of the Osteology Collection who is a forensic anthropologist.

In no particular order, the following information has been confirmed:

• One Ancestor was identified as an Indigenous female, most likely between 50 and 60 years of age. It is possible that she had a child sometime during her life, and she stood approximately 162.70 ± 2.41 cm tall.
• One Ancestor was identified as an infant, likely nearing 1 year of age, of undetermined sex, stature and ancestry. Based on burial practices, it is likely that this Ancestor is Indigenous (as other cultural markers could not be determined).
• One Ancestor was identified as a child, most likely between 4 to 5 years of age, of undetermined sex, stature and ancestry. Based on burial practices, it is likely that this Ancestor is Indigenous (as other cultural markers could not be determined).

University of Alberta anthropologists have used techniques that did not harm the remains to estimate that the Ancestors were buried for at least 80 years.

There were burial artifacts uncovered with the ancestors and those are also housed at the University of Alberta. Our intention is to rebury these artifacts with the ancestors.

Original excavation records indicate that the burial sites contained some archeological artifacts, but there is very limited documentation that describes which artifacts are associated with each Burial Site. The excavation records of 1967 indicate that one cup was recovered from the Burial Site Two of the infant, and that a cup, spoon, comb, and beads were recovered from the Burial Site Three of the child.

Currently, there are several artifacts stored alongside the Ancestors in the Osteology Collection at the University of Alberta. There are more artifacts stored with the Ancestors than were recorded on the 1967 excavation records when the Ancestors were uncovered, including multiple cups, spoons, combs and beads, and other artifacts. It is impossible to determine which artifacts were uncovered in 1967 and which were added to storage at a later date. Therefore, some of the artifacts are likely not associated with any of the Ancestors' burial sites, but we are not able to identify which ones. Because of this complexity, the relationship between any of the Ancestors and the artifacts stored with the Ancestors is unclear.

There have been several inquiries about whether the Ancestors can be associated with an Indigenous community, or a community of origin, by observing the artifacts. It is unclear whether the artifacts stored with the Ancestors were belongings of the Ancestors, were gifts at the time of death, or if those not listed on the original documentation came from a different burial site altogether. Because of this uncertainty, we feel that it would be most respectful to bury all of the artifacts with the Ancestors’ remains.

The Medicine Hat Ancestors Reburial Project Team invited Dr. Kisha Supernant, a Métis archaeologist at the University of Alberta, to view the artifacts stored with the Ancestors. The aim was to try and identify a time period when the artifacts were created and used. This report has been finalized and will be shared with the Nations and communities who the Project Team has been engaging with.

A reburial describes a process when human remains are returned to the land. A repatriation process is different, as it involves returning human remains or cultural artifacts to their community of origin. The three Ancestors currently cared for by the University of Alberta will be reburied, as their community of origin is not known.

This project is a partnership between the City of Medicine Hat, the Miywasin Friendship Centre, and the University of Alberta. This project has been partially funded by Canadian Heritage and the National Indian Brotherhood. Any additional funds and in-kind costs will be covered by the partners depending on the areas of responsibilities.

Specific details around the return of the Ancestors to Medicine Hat from the University of Alberta are still being worked out and will be determined through community engagement and conversations.

Because the Ancestors were buried in Medicine Hat for at least 80 years, and because there is no way to confirm their cultural ties or community of origin, it was felt by many of the Nations / communities that have talked with the Medicine Hat Ancestors Reburial Project Team that it was most appropriate to rebury the Ancestors as near to the location they would have known the longest. The City of Medicine Hat has set aside plots in Hillside Cemetery to rebury the Ancestors.

Letters were sent to Nations and communities in early 2023 as the starting place by the Medicine Hat Ancestors Reburial Project Team. The Nations and communities contacted were based on those known to have used Medicine Hat as a gathering place, travel route, or settlement prior to and including 1887. The Project Team had some meetings with individuals in response to these letters.

The Medicine Hat Ancestors Reburial Project Team followed up with Nations and communities via telephone and email to invite them to participate in in-person gatherings in Medicine Hat or to meet with the Project Team in-person or virtually. Through these meetings and conversations, the Project Team has been able to further identify individuals to contact for different Nations or communities. The work is on-going and remains important in the reburial process.

The Project Team’s work is closely informed by Indigenous peoples (or members of Indigenous communities) on the Project Team and by the Nations/communities that are engaged in this work. Community events and gatherings as well as continued direct engagement will help the Team determine protocols and recommendations to welcome the ancestors home.

The burials date back to at least 1887, but could be much older. Even so, it is known that many groups were passing through the Medicine Hat area in the latter half of the 19th century. This means that we cannot narrow down the community of origin based on which communities were in the Medicine Hat area in 1887. Furthermore, nothing in the Ancestors’ remains indicate a cause of death which could link their deaths to a particular historical period or event.

DNA testing has not been conducted for several reasons. It requires the destruction of bone or tooth material from each of the Ancestors, and is only informative in relation to other genetic testing.

Furthermore, the communities surrounding Medicine Hat are not necessarily genetically distinct, so DNA testing might not offer information that cannot be learned through stories and local histories.

The Ancestors were not brought to the University of Alberta for research purposes. When trusted with the remains of Ancestors, we must also consider how they might have wanted their remains to be treated. This consideration is in keeping with concerns regarding destructive testing that have been raised by some of the Nations / communities that have engaged with the Project Team.

Therefore, while DNA testing could tell us if the Ancestors are related to each other, it could not confirm whether the Ancestors are part of any particular Nation or community of origin. As we cannot get consent from the Ancestors’ families, and also because DNA testing is very physically destructive to the remains, the Project Team does not consider it appropriate to destroy any of the Ancestors’ remains to prove that they are related to each other when the intention is to rebury them close together anyway. This wish was also expressed by some of the Nations / communities that have engaged with the Project Team.

Finally, some Nations / communities have expressed discomfort with aspects of biological anthropology - the scientific study of human remains from archaeological sites. For this reason, these research practices are not often conducted on Indigenous remains in Alberta, or even Canada.