Previous Education

MES (Northern Environments and Cultures), Lakehead University, 2013
B.A. (Hons) (Anthropology), University of Winnipeg, 1994

Supervisors

Dr. Scott Neilsen / Dr. Lisa Rankin

Keywords

Precontact and Contact era archaeology, Labrador, Innu, community-based archaeology, ethnohistory, subarctic, resilience.

Research Interests

My research focuses on Innu history and interactions in Labrador. The research program has been designed in conjunction with the Innu Nation to document local views of cultural landscapes and land management, with discussion centred on how heritage sites are managed. This is important in the context of evolving land claims, increasing development, and a changing climate. My objectives are to review best practices in community-based archaeology, document and assess heritage sites on Innu lands, and contribute to the Innu Nation’s archaeological site monitoring and guardian training programs. In addition to being case studies for my research, individual investigations of heritage sites offer potential spin-offs in documenting Innu land use and supporting community education.

My background includes archaeology, ethnography, and regulatory systems. My past work has concerned the history of wildlife management and its impacts to northern Indigenous communities; ethnohistory and occupancy research for First Nation; mitigation of burials and Fur Trade sites affected by hydroelectric development; documentation of historic mining camps; and forensic investigations of murdered and missing Indigenous women.

Contact

Email: dmfinch@mun.ca