President's Message
July/August 2008
(as published in Arch Notes New Series 13(4))
In the normal course of things, folks have now been in the field for several weeks and still more new and sometimes unsuspected chapters of Ontario's more distant past are being discovered and/or written. Others will be undertaking long deserved holidays, perhaps closer to home than anticipated, but in keeping with never-before-seen fuel costs. But that's okay because I suspect that many will be making pleasant discoveries: small towns they barely knew about and that have preserved characteristics that are generations old; scenery they thought had been all bulldozed away; people of genuine warmth and exuding hospitality they thought had long since ceased to be practiced. I am certain that discovering what's in our own backyards will both surprise and please.
Another special undertaking this summer for many, I am certain, was taking in the Olympic Games held in Beijing, China. Once again, the nations of the world put aside some of the preoccupations of our times to celebrate sport and athleticism. Of course, we would be naive to think that politics stayed out of these few weeks of incredible achievement for the athletes. There were prices paid for those games that go well beyond balance sheets.
Speaking of the Olympics and summer travel, I recently returned from China where I was on holidays with my family before finishing my trip in Beijing in order to open an exhibition of which I am one of the curators. It is a collaboration between the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the National Museum of China, and showcases masterworks from the CMC's aboriginal collections. This is the Canadian contribution to an exchange of "treasures" exhibitions; a process that began 5 or 6 years ago. Last year, the Canadian Museum of Civilization hosted "Treasures from the National Museum of China" and this year, "First Peoples of Canada" can be viewed by visitors to Tiananmen Square, as the Beijing Art Museum of Imperial City, where the exhibition is being shown, sits just beside the Forbidden City and that well-known scene of so much human drama. Several pieces in that exhibition of 150 spectacular ethnographic and archaeological pieces are from Ontario (no surprise since I am the curator of Ontario archaeology at CMC!) and include ceramic containers, native copper implements, soapstone carvings, skins clothing, feather headdresses, shell gorgets, wooden ball clubs and moccasins.
It was an interesting process to put together an exhibition of 150 beautiful artifacts relating to Canadian aboriginal people for a Chinese audience. Nicholette Prince, my co-curator, and myself had to try to understand what baseline of knowledge a Chinese audience would have about Canadian aboriginal cultures. A commissioned study indicated we could not expect that understanding to be as well-developed as a North American audience's. As such, we created an exhibition which provides some geographic, chronological and cultural context for visitors to better appreciate the objects themselves. How successful were we? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, but be assured that Ontario has its place in sun of China's capital.
With the fall symposium approaching a lot faster than many would like, there are a number of changes to anticipate. For one, Henry van Lieshout, who has been the OAS treasurer for at least 15 years, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the OAS for several years before that, has decided to step down. The entire board joins you all in very sincerely thanking Henry for all of his work on the board and for seeing us through some challenging years on the financial score. But Henry's contributions have been broader than just minding the bank accounts. He was and continues to be a repository of oral knowledge without which the board would be doomed to revisit, endlessly, old issues and repeat old mistakes. So thank you for all of your work Henry and do expect to receive emails and phone calls from time to time when your expertise will be critical; just not as often...
There is also an opportunity for someone to take up the editorship of Arch Notes. Andy Schoenhoffer has done a great job for several years now and family obligations require more of his time. As you all know, Arch Notes is published 6 times a year and is one of the OAS's major publications. Arch Notes shares news about the society and also publishes original contributions relating to the archaeology of Ontario. It's a serious challenge putting out Arch Notes with some serious benefits inherent in being an active player in preserving and disseminating the archaeological record of Ontario. If you have a penchant for editing and would like to be more active in the OAS, consider putting your name forward.
It's really important to keep in mind that the OAS will only be what its members are prepared to make it. The board is made up entirely of volunteers along with the editors of Arch Notes and Ontario Archaeology. Together, countless hours of work are gladly and freely expended on behalf of and for the members of the OAS. What we accomplish and what we fail to undertake reflects the vigour of the organization. There is always work to do, so please consider putting your name forward to join the board or even let us know that you would be willing to help out. It's a good way to leave a positive mark on archaeology in Ontario and on the OAS.
Jean-Luc Pilon