Our fourth interview was done with the Executive Director of
the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society Dr. Tomasin Playford.
Q: Thank you for
taking the time to answer these questions Tomasin, we were very happy that you
could join our event this year. Could you tell me a little bit about the
Saskatchewan Archaeological Society and what it does?
A: Well it’s a membership based society, and what we do is
we bring together people interested in archaeology and we have been around for
over 50 years. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2013 and the society grew out
of collectors that were going out on the landscape that came together wanting
to learn more about the artifacts that they were finding. We offer about 20
different programs and services. So we have things that we do for our members
and the general public: we publish a quarterly and occasional papers, we do an
annual gathering and general meeting every year, bus tours, workshops, and we
also have a library. One of our most popular activities in a public field
school which we offer every summer. The SAS also does conservation work, which includes the identification and
recording of archaeological sites, and providing educational programs as well,
such as guidelines for visiting archaeological sites. We have a core group of
volunteers that are part of the SAS but we are always looking for volunteers to
help with individual projects.
Q: Well that’s really
cool! Does the society operate year round?
A: Yes, our office hours are generally Monday to Thursday
9:00am to 4:00pm or Friday by appointment so there is often someone in the
office. We might be out in the field doing work or running errands, so I always
recommend that people call first just to make sure we’re there.
Q: That’s great! It is
definitely important for the public to have the opportunity to get involved and
learn about archaeology. How long have you been involved in the society and
what inspired you to pursue the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society?
A: I have been the Executive Director for just over 2 years
but I have been a member for about a dozen years now. I was a graduate student
at the University of Saskatchewan but I didn’t really get connected with my
provincial organization until I moved away unfortunately. So my motivation when
I was a student was to learn more about Saskatchewan archaeology. When I moved
away it was a bit more to support the Society, so I think that if I could speak
to other people’s motivations, they are all different. Students connect because they wanted to network, we give out bursaries, there are teachers that
join because they want to use our resources, and we have members that have been
involved as collectors, so there are many different motivating factors that
attract different people.
Q: That’s fantastic
that there is such a wide variety of people involved with the society. Do you
find that you gain insight into the groups that lived, and in fact still live,
in Saskatchewan through Plains Archaeology?
A: Oh yes, about 90% of the archaeology that we do in
Saskatchewan is First Nations Pre-Contact Archaeology, so we are increasing our
connections with First Nations and Metis peoples in terms of their archaeology.
There is a vast amount of information held by the First Nations and Metis, but
we must keep in mind that we need to be respectful and understand that it
doesn’t always have to be shared with the general public.
Q: That is a great
point and something I definitely think that everyone needs to remember! My next
question for you is what is your favorite thing about being a part of the
Saskatchewan Archaeological Society?
A: My favorite part it is that it is my dream job, and is
one of the best archaeological jobs that I could have asked for. I get to go
talk to people about archaeology, and it’s different every day. It’s definitely
about the people, we have a great membership, but we also get to bring
archaeology to people who don’t know about it or understand it. We also get
access to unique artifacts that not everybody necessarily gets to see in
Saskatchewan. It’s also about learning for me, that we get the chance to learn
about all aspects that archaeology encompasses in Saskatchewan. One of our most
popular programs is the field school. It’s not actually that common in Canada
for there to be public archaeology, Wanuskewin is actually the longest running
public archaeological program in Canada.
Q: That is awesome! What
you have described is something that has always been attractive to me about
archaeology. It’s not only about the chance to learn from archaeology but to
share that knowledge with others. Is there anything in the Saskatchewan
Archaeological Society’s future that you are excited about?
A: Well actually, as a provincial group we are organized
into chapters, and the Saskatoon Archaeological Society is celebrating their 80th
anniversary this year the same weekend as Culture Days. Most of what we do for
archaeology is in the summer. We also published our third occasional papers in
archaeology on the Cypress Hills Massacre at the Fort Walsh area, so you should
look for that in your local bookstore.
Q: I definitely will!
That would be an interesting read. Now for my last question, what motivated you
to approach the Museum of Antiquities to become part of our festival?
A: I approached the Museum because I had attended it the
year before with my nieces and nephews. I was really excited because we had did
our Culture Days event on the Friday so that we could have a chance to attend
the other events throughout the weekend. I was really excited for this event
because of the diversity of activities that were made available, which is
something that attracted me to attend the event as a participant and that they
were so kid friendly. I thought it would be a great opportunity for the kids,
both boys and girls which ranged in age from 5 to 12 years old, and there was
something for everyone. I also thought it would be neat to make that
relationship between the New World and Old World here in Saskatchewan. We were
also interested in coming to this event because of the exposure. There were so
many people that participated last year and we saw a better opportunity to
showcase what the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society has to offer to the
public than what we could have done on our own.
Q: Yes we are very
excited that we can make that connection between New World and Old World this
year. Part of our mandate for the event is to offer exposure to different
cultures that still affect the present day Saskatoon community and helping them
understand them equally. I want to thank for taking the time to answer these
questions. We know the SAS has a lot to offer the Prairie Paladin Medieval
Market and Faire and that it will be a hit with the community!
For more information about the Saskatchewan Archaeological
Society, check out their webpage at: http://www.saskarchsoc.ca/
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