Revisiting “Dm Sibilhaa'nm da Laxyuubm Gitxaała (Piicking Abalone in Gitxaała Territory)”: Vindication, Appropriation, and Archaeology

Abstract

This paper explores the question "why does abalone appear absent from mainstream archaeological findings?" This question is approached from within an explicitly Indigenous framework wherein tools of mainstream disciplines, such as archaeology, are appropriated within the Indigenous framework (rahter than the otherway around). Drawing upon material evidence of abalone shells found in context in an ancient Gitxaała village the author documents a lacunae within mainstream archaeological thought. This paper also highlights the relevance of Indigenous research frameworks toward decolonizing mainstream social science.