Marpole Midden

The Marpole Midden, also known by archaeologists as the Great Fraser Midden or Eburne site, is a 4000-year-old midden at the mouth of the Fraser River, in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia. The site was the location of the ancient Musqueam village of c̓əsnaʔəm and a sacred burial ground.^[1]

Marpole Midden National Historic Site

c̓əsnaʔəm
1908 excavation
Location	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Type	National Historic Site of Canada
Website	Marpole Midden National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Marpole Midden National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1933

History

The site was inhabited by Coast Salish people beginning at least 4,000 years ago, until about 200 years ago, with the arrival of smallpox on the Northwest Coast.^[2] During that time it was a village known as c̓əsnaʔəm.^[2] According to BC Heritage Industry Canada site, the Marpole Culture Type dates between 2400 BP and 1600 years BP.^[3]

In 1884 the midden was unearthed during the upgrading of Garypie Farm Road, and was the site of archeological excavation throughout the subsequent decades. In 1892, Charles Hill-Tout did extensive excavations at the site for the Art, Historical, and Scientific Association of Vancouver, stimulating study of other middens in the region.^[4][5][6] American Museum of Natural History archeologist, Harlan Ingersoll Smith, participating in the Jesup North Pacific Expedition from 1897 to 1899, mined the Marpole site for skeletal remains.^[5][7] In the 1950s and 1960s UBC professor Charles Edward Borden undertook salvage archeology projects at the site. Borden "was the first to draw links between contemporary Musqueam peoples and excavated remains."^[5][6]

The construction of the Fraser Arms Hotel in the 1950s destroyed much of the site.^[8]

On May 25, 1933, the Marpole Midden was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada,^[9] although the historic marker is located in nearby Marpole Park, while the midden itself is located a few blocks away, between Montcalm and Milton streets, south of Marine Drive.^[10]

Proposed development

In December 2011, a development permit was issued for the construction of a 108-unit condominium project. Intact remains were found in January 2012 during an archeological dig as required by the permit. In March 2012, members disrupted planned digging, claiming there was no consultation prior to the permit being issued in December, and in protest over the continued lack of dialogue.^[10]

There was a cooling-off period while waiting for negotiations to occur, but protesters returned to the site because, in their opinion, there had been no meaningful progress. Musqueam Band members and the supporters of the Musqueam band staged a series of protests to raise awareness about the site in May 2012. These included a rally at Mountain View Cemetery on May 29,^[11] and a blockade of the Arthur Laing Bridge between Richmond and Vancouver on May 31.^[12]

On September 27, 2012, Musqueam received the Province of B.C.’s decision regarding the permits issued by the Province under the Heritage Conservation Act to permit a 5 story condominium development at c̓əsnaʔəm, also known as the Musqueam Marpole Village Site. As recognized in the decision, this site was declared to be a National Historic Site in 1933 as one of the largest pre-contact middens in Western Canada and has special significance for Musqueam.

Musqueam is pleased that the proposed development is no longer authorized by the permits issued by the Province and that the ancestral remains are to be restored to their original condition. Their disturbance caused great anguish to the community and the proposed development would have desecrated an ancient and sacred burial place and destroyed a site precious to the Musqueam as representing one of the few links to our heritage extending back thousands of years. It would also have destroyed a Canadian historic site and a heritage site that should be protected for all British Columbians.^{[citation needed]}

Musqueam looks forward to being actively involved in the steps to be taken to restore the ancestral remains in accordance with Musqueam customs and beliefs, steps that must be taken immediately to prevent further deterioration.^{[citation needed]}

The Musqueam people have purchased the property.

References

1. Roy, Susan (October 20, 2010). These Mysterious People: Shaping History and Archaeology in a Northwest Coast Community. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7735-9106-6.
2. Musqueam Indian Band 2011.
3. BC Heritage 1999.
4. Marpole Midden National Historic Site, CanadaHistory.ca website page July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
5. Roy 2010.
6. Knickerbocker 2012.
7. CMC nd.
8. Roy 2006.
9. Parks Canada 2010.
10. Puri 2012.
11. Fournier 2012.
12. Staff Reporter 2012.

Sources

• Burley, David V. (1980), Marpole: Anthropological reconstructions of a prehistoric Northwest Coast culture type, Burnaby, B.C.: Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
• "Gateway to Aboriginal Heritage: Harlan Ingersoll Smith", CMC, Gatineau, PQ: Canadian Museum of Civilization, n.d., retrieved December 2, 2013
• Charles, Andrew (December 1972), "Amateur archaeologists discover past, Pride", Nesika: The Voice of BC Indians, 1 (3), Vancouver, BC
• Fournier, Suzanne (May 29, 2012). "Musqueam protest condo plans on First Nations graveyard in Marpole". The Province. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
• Knickerbocker, Madeline (2012), , BC Studies (174), archived from the original on December 15, 2013
• Mitchell, Donald (1990), "Prehistory of the Coasts of Southern British Columbia & Northern Washington" (PDF), in Wayne Suttles (ed.), Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 7, Washington: Smithsonian Institution, pp. 340–358
• , Vancouver, BC: Musqueam Indian Band, 2011, archived from the original on December 7, 2013, retrieved December 2, 2013
• "Marpole Midden National Historic Site of Canada at Parks Canada". Parks Canada. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013.
• "Canada's Historic Places: Marpole Midden National Historic Site of Canada", Canadian Register, Parks Canada, 2010
• Puri, Belle (March 12, 2012). "Protesters block Vancouver building project". CBC News. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
• Roy, Susan (Winter 2006–2007). . BC Studies (152): 67–95. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
• Staff Reporter (May 31, 2012). "Musqueam block Arthur Laing Bridge in property-development protest". The Province. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
• , BC Heritage, Canada's Digital Collections program, Industry Canada, 1999, archived from the original on May 6, 2014, retrieved December 3, 2013

External links

• includes a brief history of the site and recent issues surrounding potential development on the site.

49°12′14″N 123°08′19″W / 49.2040°N 123.1386°W / 49.2040; -123.1386