This past spring, IPinCH Associate Michael Klassen successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation at Simon Fraser University. His landmark study, “Indigenous Heritage Stewardship and the Transformation of Archaeological Practice: Two Case Studies from the Mid-Fraser Region of British Columbia,” examined the implications of Indigenous heritage stewardship, from the viewpoints of the St’át’imc and Nlaka’pamux Nations, based on Michael’s years of involvement with communities in interior British Columbia.
Michael’s research revealed the need for greater participation and authority in archaeology and heritage stewardship at the local level, as well as provided a broader analysis of the involvement of First Nations throughout British Columbia in cultural resource management, stewardship, heritage legislation, and ethics, and of the nature of “heritage,” including its many intangible dimensions.
Michael was an IPinCH Fellow from 2010-2011 and is now an IPinCH Associate. His supervisor, Eldon Yellowhorn, and committee members, John Welch and George Nicholas, are IPinCH team members.
Congratulations Michael!
Click to access a PDF of “Indigenous Heritage Stewardship and the Transformation of Archaeological Practice: Two Case Studies from the Mid-Fraser Region of British Columbia.”
