Indigenous Human Remains Database from Archaeological Sites in Québec: Preliminary Results

Abstract

This paper presents the preliminary results of a project initiated by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawa:ke and the Groupe de recherche ArchéoSociale/ArchéoScience (Université de Montréal) to create a database of archaeological sites in Quebec that included Indigenous human remains. This document will be a useful tool for the repatriation/rematriation process. Using existing inventories, the database collated various data points for each site, such as the Borden code, location, date, minimal number of individuals (MNI), location of remains, reports, etc. Three site categories were identified: 1) those describing the discovery of human remains associated with Indigenous people (103 sites); 2) those with­out skeletal remains despite mentioning the presence of burial(s) (8 sites); and 3) those not reporting any information (81 sites). From these sites, information on more than 678 individuals have been collected so far. Site mapping has allowed the visualization of site distribution spatially and through time. Further research is needed to clarify the cultural affiliation and the storage location of these human remains.