Climate Change Institute

Indigenous communities globally are challenged by threats to heritage resources due to residual effects of colonization, outsider encroachment on traditional spaces, and economic and political inequities. The effects of climate change add another dimension to these challenges, not only by altering familiar ecosystems and landscapes, but also through the destruction of Indigenous heritage spaces. The University of Maine’s Northeast Archaeology Program aims to support Indigenous resilience to climate change within this realm through community-engaged approaches to archaeological research.  Recent field studies at the Holmes Point West site in Machias Bay, Maine exemplify these efforts by blending archaeological science with Passamaquoddy partnerships in shell midden research. In this presentation, Dr. Newsom will provide a preliminary report on these data recovery efforts and discuss UMaine’s partnership with the Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Office. She will also reflect on the nexus of Indigenous archaeology, heritage protection, and climate change resilience.