Archaeogeophysics and Statistical Analysis at the Buffalo Lake Metis Wintering Site (FdPe-1)
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Abstract
This thesis examines differences amongst cabin features at the Buffalo Lake Métis Wintering Site (FdPe-1), a late Fur Trade-era archaeological site located in central Alberta. I discuss Métis ethnogenesis as it relates to the roving groups of Plains Métis that occupied this site, as well as how it compares to the cultural practices of those groups of Métis located in eastern Canada or in permanent settlements such as Red River. Previous archaeological research regarding the Buffalo Lake site is summarized for each of the cabins excavated, as are the artifact assemblages. I perform Exploratory Data Analyses (EDA) on these assemblages to discover patterns within the data that might provide details about the activities occurring within the cabins, and use confirmatory statistics to test the significance and probability of these patterns. I also use archaeological geophysics techniques, specifically Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR), magnetometry, and magnetic susceptibility, to determine the locations of geophysical anomalies that will assist in locating cabin features that have not yet been excavated at the site. These data then inform my conclusions on how the artifact assemblages at Buffalo Lake reflect differences in Métis conceptions of identity at the site.