Kindersley hosts Saskatchewan Archaeological Society
By Joan Janzen
The Saskatchewan Archaeological Society (SAS) hosts their 59th Annual Gathering in Kindersley from April 8th to 10th. The SAS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect people to Saskatchewan’s past. Hosting the event in Kindersley is a way to honour Ted Douglas, a long-time member of SAS, and show appreciation for all of his work in provincial archaeology.
The gathering will begin on Friday evening, April 8th, at the Kindersley and District Museum. There, participants will be able to try hands-on activities and tour the museum from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
There will also be an opportunity for people to have their artifacts identified by qualified members and professional archaeologists like Karin Steuber, the Public Outreach Coordinator for SAS. Karin said they also have a long-time volunteer, who is a retired geologist and paleontologist, who helps identify dinosaur bones and geological specimens.
The following day, paper presentations will be held all day at the Canalta Hotel. The papers range from reports on research projects and excavations to biographies of archaeologists. This will be followed by the Annual General Meeting, banquet, and awards presentations.
Following the presentations, everyone is invited to listen to a free hour-long public talk by guest speaker Kim Soo Goodtrack. This is scheduled to take place at 8:00 p.m. and is sponsored by Sask. Culture and Sask. Lotteries. Both the public talk and activities at the museum are free; however, registration is required for the Sunday tour and the Saturday papers.
Kim Soo Goodtrack is an artist, author, TV series creator, and retired school teacher who lives on the Woodmountain reserve in Southern Saskatchewan. Her great grandmother walked to Woodmountain with Sitting Bull and their people in 1877, where she remained and where her daughter was born.
Now Kim spends time at her studio in Rockglen, Sask., painting, sewing, making jewelry, and serving tea to her studio visitors. She also made a documentary about Ted Douglas a few years ago called “Ted’s Things and Tipi Rings.”
On Sunday, April 10th, Dave Neufeld from Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre in Herschel will be conducting a tour. Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre is located northwest of Rosetown in the village of Herschel. The area includes aboriginal historical sites, dig-sites and paleontology excavation sites. Outside the facility is a life-size statue of a plains grizzly bear that was once part of the area landscape.
Currently, the SAS has approximately 300 members. Most members are from Saskatchewan; however, there are additional members from across Canada and the United States.