Lisa Rankin

Memorial University of Newfoundland, Archaeology, Faculty Member

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Address: Department of Archaeology
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's NL Canada A1C5S7

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Alana Lentin

Western Sydney University

David Seamon

Kansas State University

Enrico Cirelli

Università di Bologna

Florin Curta

University of Florida

Kristian Kristiansen

University of Gothenburg

Yannis Hamilakis

Brown University

Gary Feinman

Field Museum

Vajk Szeverényi

Déri Múzeum, Debrecen

Davide Ermacora

Università degli Studi di Torino

Laura E Kelvin

University of Manitoba

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Books by Lisa Rankin

Special Volume of Etudes/Inuit/Studies 39(1)

Etudes/Inuit/Studies, 2015

Lisa K. Rankin, Marianne Stopp and Amanda Crompton (editors)

Interpreting Long-term Trends in the Transition to Farming: Reconsidering the Nodwell Site, Ontario, Canada

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And Such was the Custom of the Inca: The Imperial Mitmaq Policy of the Inca

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Conference Presentations by Lisa Rankin

On Equal Footing: The Benefits and Implications of Partnered Research with Inuit Governments

Paper presented at the 22nd Inuit Studies Conference, Winnipeg, June 2022. by Lisa Rankin and Bel... more

Learning form the Recent Past in Inuit Labrador.

Paper presented at the 54th Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference 2022, Edmonton,... more

The Gender of Contact: Centering Inuit Women in Foreign Encounters.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Amanda Crompton at the Canadian Coastal Histories Conference, ... more

Safe as Houses: Considerations of Domestic Arrangements and Power Structures.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Peter Ramsden at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Society for Am... more

A Sense of Community: Studying the Labrador Inuit Past Through Community Partnerships.

Presented to the Peterborough Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Association.

Applying a Community Archaeology Approach in Nunatsiavut.

Paper Presented by Lisa Rankin, Laura Kelvin, Marjorie Flowers and Charlotte Wolfrey at the 21st ... more

Meeting in the Straits: Inuit at the Crossroads of Cultural Interaction.

Paper presented at the Before Canada Conference, McGill University, Montreal, October 2019.

Geographical Isolation as a Catalyst for Social Change among the Labrador Inuit.

Paper presented at the 52nd Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference. Quebec City, M... more

Archaeology, Advocacy and the Public Good.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Barry Gaulton at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for Am... more

Demography in the Details: Assessing Labrador Inuit Village Populations During the Contact Era.

Presented at the Populating Coastal Landscapes Conference, Alta, Norway.

Coastal Erosion and Climate Change in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Jamie Brake at the 51st Annual Canadian Archaeological Associa... more

Forgotten Places in Political Spaces.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Peter Ramsden at the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeol... more

Archaeology and Alternative Tourism in Nunatsiavut.

Paper presented at the ArcticNet 2018 Conference, Ottawa, December 2018.

Research as Reconciliation in the Canadian North

School for the Study of Canada. Trent University, Peterborough

Exploring Labrador Inuit Ethnicity through Archaeology.

Presented to the Département des sciences historiques, Université Laval, QC.

Early Collectors and the Creation of the Unknown Labrador.

Paper presented at the 50th Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference. Gatineau, May... more

Sustaining Identity: Interpreting Labrador Inuit Communal Houses in Southern Labrador.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Vince Jankunis at the 50th Annual Canadian Archaeological Asso... more

Special Volume of Etudes/Inuit/Studies 39(1)

Etudes/Inuit/Studies, 2015

Lisa K. Rankin, Marianne Stopp and Amanda Crompton (editors)

Interpreting Long-term Trends in the Transition to Farming: Reconsidering the Nodwell Site, Ontario, Canada

Download

And Such was the Custom of the Inca: The Imperial Mitmaq Policy of the Inca

Download

On Equal Footing: The Benefits and Implications of Partnered Research with Inuit Governments

Paper presented at the 22nd Inuit Studies Conference, Winnipeg, June 2022. by Lisa Rankin and Bel... more

Learning form the Recent Past in Inuit Labrador.

Paper presented at the 54th Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference 2022, Edmonton,... more

The Gender of Contact: Centering Inuit Women in Foreign Encounters.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Amanda Crompton at the Canadian Coastal Histories Conference, ... more

Safe as Houses: Considerations of Domestic Arrangements and Power Structures.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Peter Ramsden at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Society for Am... more

A Sense of Community: Studying the Labrador Inuit Past Through Community Partnerships.

Presented to the Peterborough Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Association.

Applying a Community Archaeology Approach in Nunatsiavut.

Paper Presented by Lisa Rankin, Laura Kelvin, Marjorie Flowers and Charlotte Wolfrey at the 21st ... more

Meeting in the Straits: Inuit at the Crossroads of Cultural Interaction.

Paper presented at the Before Canada Conference, McGill University, Montreal, October 2019.

Geographical Isolation as a Catalyst for Social Change among the Labrador Inuit.

Paper presented at the 52nd Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference. Quebec City, M... more

Archaeology, Advocacy and the Public Good.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Barry Gaulton at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for Am... more

Demography in the Details: Assessing Labrador Inuit Village Populations During the Contact Era.

Presented at the Populating Coastal Landscapes Conference, Alta, Norway.

Coastal Erosion and Climate Change in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Jamie Brake at the 51st Annual Canadian Archaeological Associa... more

Forgotten Places in Political Spaces.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Peter Ramsden at the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeol... more

Archaeology and Alternative Tourism in Nunatsiavut.

Paper presented at the ArcticNet 2018 Conference, Ottawa, December 2018.

Research as Reconciliation in the Canadian North

School for the Study of Canada. Trent University, Peterborough

Exploring Labrador Inuit Ethnicity through Archaeology.

Presented to the Département des sciences historiques, Université Laval, QC.

Early Collectors and the Creation of the Unknown Labrador.

Paper presented at the 50th Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference. Gatineau, May... more

Sustaining Identity: Interpreting Labrador Inuit Communal Houses in Southern Labrador.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Vince Jankunis at the 50th Annual Canadian Archaeological Asso... more

Rethinking the In-Between: Current Archaeological Research at Double Mer Point, Labrador.

Paper presented at the 20th Biennial Inuit Studies Conference. St. John’s, October, 2016.

Archaeological Heritage as a Catalyst for Public Engagement, Rural Rejuvenation, and Rethinking our Shared Past: Perspectives from a Quarter Century of Community Archaeology in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Paper presented by Lisa Rankin and Barry Gaulton at the Association for Critical Heritage Studies... more

Untangling and Interpreting Inuit Ethnicity(ies) in Southern Labrador.

Paper presented at the 49th Annual Canadian Archaeological Association Conference. Whitehorse, M... more

Archaeology, Participatory Democracy and Social Justice in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

by Lisa Rankin and Barry Gaulton

Archaeologies, 2021

________________________________________________________________ Memorial University, located in ... more ________________________________________________________________ Memorial University, located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, was created in 1925 to help build a better future for the people of Canada's easternmost province, whose largely rural fishing communities were rapidly transforming through industrialization and urbanization. Mandated by a ''special obligation to the people of the province,'' university archaeologists embraced applied, community-based projects which encouraged local solutions to the social and economic issues arising from the transformation to modernity. Today, community archaeology remains integral to our research program and the majority of our research is undertaken in partnership with rural and Indigenous populations who continue to be marginalized both geographically and economically. Two case studies describe how archaeological resources are being used to promote economic and social justice, as well as reconciliation, and how archaeology has the potential to make valuable local contributions that change lives in the present.

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Tourism and archaeology in Nunatsiavut

The Inuit World, 2022

Diversity in Labrador Inuit sled dog diets: Insights from δ 13 C and δ 15 N analysis of dog bone and dentine collagen

by Deirdre Elliott, Lisa Rankin, and Peter Whitridge

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

Sled dogs were an integral part of Labrador Inuit life from the initial expansion and settlement ... more Sled dogs were an integral part of Labrador Inuit life from the initial expansion and settlement of northeastern Canada to the present day. Tasked with pulling sleds and assisting people with other subsistence activities in the winter, dogs required regular provisioning with protein and fat. In this paper, we conduct stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analysis of the skeletal remains of dogs (n = 35) and wild fauna (n = 68) from sites located on the north and south coasts of Labrador to characterize dog provisioning between the 15th to early 19th centuries. In addition, we analyse bone (n = 20) and dentine (n = 4) collagen from dogs from Double Mer Point, a communal house site in Hamilton Inlet to investigate how dog diets intersected with Inuit subsistence and trade activities at a local level. We find that dog diets were largely composed of marine mammal protein, but that dogs on the north coast consumed more caribou and fish relative to dogs from the central and south coast sites. The diets of dogs from Double Mer Point were the most heterogenous of any site, suggesting long-distance movement of people and/or animals along the coast.

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Introduction. In Voices on Inuit Leadership and Self-Determination in Canada

Voices on Inuit Leadership and Self-Determination in Canada, 2020

Tom Gordon, Dave Lough and Lisa K. Rankin authors. Edited by Dave Lough, pp. 11-21. ISER Press, ... more

Datasets S1 from Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic

Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors... more Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...

Datasets S2 from Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic

Datasets S3 from Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic

Datasets S4 from Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic

Datasets S5 from Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic

Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic

by Christyann Darwent, Angela Perri, Anna Linderholm, Madonna Moss, and Lisa Rankin

Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors... more Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Palaeo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Palaeo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a secondary pre-contact migration of dogs distinct from Palaeo-Inuit dogs, and probably aided the Inuit expansion across the North American Arctic beginning around 1000 BP.

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Supplementary captions for Figures S1 - S17 and captions for Databases S1 to S6 from Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic

Archaeological Heritage as a Catalyst for Public Engagement, Rural Rejuvenation, and Rethinking Our Shared Past: Perspectives from a Quarter Century of Community Archaeology in Newfoundland and Labrador

História: Questões & Debates

A pesquisa arqueológica na província mais oriental do Canadá se beneficiou de uma longa e expansí... more A pesquisa arqueológica na província mais oriental do Canadá se beneficiou de uma longa e expansível história de parcerias com as comunidades. Tal deve-se, em parte, ao mandato excepcional da Memorial University, assim como ao engajamento forte do departamento de arqueologia em trabalhar com indivíduos e organizações locais durante escavações. A partir de três casos de estudos da província de Terra Nova e Labrador, este artigo revela as motivações, as experiências, os desafios, como os resultados que podem surgir das parcerias comunidade-universidade, e atesta do potencial da arqueologia em contribuir localmente de forma vantajosamente.

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Towards a Beothuk Archaeology: Understanding Indigenous Agency in the Material Record

Traces of Ochre; Changing Perspectives on the Beothuk, Edited by Fiona Polack , 2018

The archaeological history of the Beothuk has until recently been mired in essentialist assumptio... more The archaeological history of the Beothuk has until recently been mired in essentialist assumptions concerning their rapid decline and ruin following contact with settler society. This negative narrative finds its roots in the a-historical reading of non-indigenous, colonial era documents which have guided the archaeological interpretations of the fragmentary material record of Beothuk society. By embracing a reflexive approach to their role in shaping and relating indigenous histories, and by emphasizing the significance of long-term cultural structures, archaeologists are beginning to understand how indigenous peoples dealt with the colonial process. The new Beothuk archaeology tells a much different story – one about a sophisticated people with dynamic social and economic systems developed over a lengthy history. The Beothuk experienced the contact-event on their own terms, making choices which were guided by their own traditions and worldview.

Chaloupes and Kayaks: European Mariners and the Seascapes of Intercultural Contact By Amanda Crompton and Lisa K. Rankin

by Amanda Crompton and Lisa Rankin

Marine Venture: Archaeological Perspectives on Human-Sea Relations, 2016

The Atlantic Ocean knit together diverse groups of people in an increasingly dense set of connect... more The Atlantic Ocean knit together diverse groups of people in an increasingly dense set of connections. Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, French fishermen undertook trans-Atlantic journeys in the quest for marine resources. Some of these ships were drawn to the beaches of southern Labrador, where they engaged in a summer-long cod fishery. Their presence was a seasonal one, and at the end of the summer, fishermen returned to home markets in France with their preserved catch. Their seasonal appearance on Labrador's beaches and in near-shore waters drew the attention of Inuit groups living in the region, and trade relationships quickly developed between the two groups. These cyclical, yearly encounters between French and Inuit became a predictable, if sometimes volatile occurrence. In this chapter, we explore how the seasonal rounds of these two maritime-focused groups intersected. Specifically, we examine where and how the trade occurred, how French and Inuit began to expect and anticipate this intera:ction, and the role that maritime technology played in these exchanges.

Kayaks and Chaloupes: Labrador Inuit and the Seascapes of Inter-cultural Contact By Lisa K. Rankin and Amanda Crompton

by Lisa Rankin and Amanda Crompton

Marine Ventures: Archaeological Perspectives on Human-Sea Relations., 2016

By the sixteenth century the Inuit had colonized much of the Labrador coast. In southern Labrador... more By the sixteenth century the Inuit had colonized much of the Labrador coast. In southern Labrador Inuit had access to plentiful marine resources, but they were also drawn to this region by the seasonal presence of Basque and French fishers and whalers with whom they traded and raided for a variety of European commodities. What began as opportunistic exchanges soon developed into an increasingly elaborate_ seasonal venture which had to be worked into the Inuit seasonal round. By the 18th century such trade was substantial. Inuit produced and prepared surplus marine products such as baleen, sea mammal furs and oils which they exchanged for commodities such as iron, ceramics and if possible, boats. Goods were transported to and from Inuit communities along the Labrador coast by sea, and much of the trading (and raiding) took place aboard European vessels. This intensive annual trading cycle ultimately permeated the lives of Inuit throughout Labrador who largely organized themselves to participate in this new global economy. This paper explores how this marine-based economy impacted the lives of the Inuit in southern Labrador affecting their daily life, settlement structure, group identity, and relations to other Inuit communities in northern Labrador, while drawing on long-term traditions.

Meeting in the Straits: Intersecting Inuit and European Trajectories in Southern Labrador. By Lisa K. Rankin and Amanda Crompton

Contact in the 16th Century: Networks Among Fishers, Foragers and Farmers., 2016

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Identity markers: Interpreting sod-house occupation in Sandwich Bay, Labrador

Études/Inuit/Studies, 2015

Documentary evidence suggests that Inuit were present in the Strait of Belle Isle by the late 16t... more Documentary evidence suggests that Inuit were present in the Strait of Belle Isle by the late 16th century, yet the archaeological evidence for Inuit settlement in southern Labrador is sparse. Inuit sites are difficult to recognize south of Nunatsiavut, where 19th-century Inuit-Métis families and seasonal Newfoundland fishers occupied settlements that leave similar archaeological surface-traces. In 2009 a SSHRC-funded Community-University Research Alliance was initiated to examine Inuit history in southern Labrador. One of the primary goals of the research was to develop archaeological criteria to distinguish between these ethnically distinct settlements. This paper presents the results from several seasons of research in Sandwich Bay, Labrador. It uses data from community interviews, archaeological surveys, and excavations at four Inuit settlements, one Inuit-Métis house, and one Newfoundland fishery camp to help resolve the issue of site ethnicity for the area immediately south of...

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Introduction: The Inuit in Southern Labrador. By Lisa K. Rankin, Marianne P. Stopp and Amanda Crompton

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Trading and Raiding in Southern Labrador: French and Inuit Entanglement in the Eighteenth Century By Lisa K. Rankin

An Occasional Publication of Newfoundland and Labrador Studies, No.3. 2015. pp. 140-158.

Exploring the Communal House Phase in Sandwich Bay. By Phoebe Murphy and Lisa K. Rankin

History and Renewal of Labrador’s Inuit-Métis

Book Review - Where the Wind Blows Us

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The Archaeology of Native-Lived Colonialism: Challenging History in the Great Lakes (Ferris 2009)

North Atlantic Archaeology 2, 2010

North Atlantic Archaeology 2:135-137

The Films of Fogo Island

This film examines the significance of the work undertaken by Memorial University’s Extension Ser... more

People of NunatuKavut

This film was produced as a general history of the Southern Inuit and is one of several community... more

Labrador Road Show

This film covers the process of delivering research results from my SSHRC-CURA grant to the many ... more

Lisa Rankin

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