Andrew W. Hickok

Research Interests:

Bioarchaeology; human osteology; palaeopathology; mortuary archaeology; Northwest Coast archaeology; palaeoepidemiology; population movements and migrations; comparative anatomy; and palaeoanthropology; the development of social complexity and secret societies; in addition to supporting indigenous archaeologies.

Ph.D. Research:

Treponemal infection on the ancient Northwest Coast:  Over the last 15 years several sites in the Gulf of Georgia region have reported skeletal lesions that are either suggestive or diagnostic of treponemal infection, including all the hallmarks of the venereal syndrome, syphilis (caries sicca, aortic aneurysm, Charcot’s joints and congenital indicators).  My research will examine all the evidence reported do date, new data from my own work, and will also include one of the largest ancient skeletal collections from the Northwest Coast, Pender Canal (DeRt 1&2; MNI=156).  All the data will then be synthesized to diagnose the treponemal syndrome present on the ancient Northwest Coast.    

Fieldwork and Analyses:

I am the Bioarchaeologist at Stantec (formerly I.R. Wilson Consultants Ltd.), responsible for the identification, analysis, and curation of archaeological human remains and mortuary analyses.  I have worked at many sites in the Strait of Georgia region and authored the Human Remains and Mortuary Analysis sections of dozens of HCA permit reports.

M.Sc. Thesis:

2000         The Role of Environmental Stress in the Formation of Wormian Bones.  Department of Archaeology and Prehistory, University of Sheffield: Sheffield, U.K.

Publications:

Hickok, A.W.
2009         Book Review: Paleoepidemiology: The Measure of Disease in the Human Past, by Tony Waldron. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 33(1):140-142.

Hickok, A.W., W.A. White (Xalemath), K. Recalma-Clutesi, S.R. Hamm, and H.E. Kanipe.
2010         Mortuary Evidence of Coast Salish Shamanism? Canadian Journal of Archaeology 34(2):240-264.

Yellowhorn, E.C. and A.W. Hickok.
n.d.           Brave New Digs: Archaeology and Aboriginal People in British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Native Studies  (in preparation).