A photo of Dr. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer in the field. She is wearing a baseball cap and plaid shirt and smiles at the camera.

Dr. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer

Ph.D.
Pronouns: She/Her

Positions

Assistant Professor

Faculty of Arts, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology

Associate - Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology

University of Alberta

Contact information

Email

lmamunds@ucalgary.ca

Phone number

Office: 403-220-6227

Location

Office: Earth Sciences860

Preferred method of communication

E-mail

I'm looking for...

Funding

I am seeking funding for community-based research projects that work with and focus on Indigenous heritage and Black heritage, as well as to support ongoing community programming.

Research partners

I am always looking for research and community partners for Indigenous and Black heritage projects, as well as for the Public Archaeology Program and Indigenous Youth Engagement Program (Grades 7-12).

Background

Educational Background

Ph.D. Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2014

B.A. Honours Major in Archaeology, Minor in Museum and Heritage Studies, University of Calgary, 2009

Biography

Dr. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer has more than 15 years of experience working with heritage resources in Western Canada in the academic, cultural resource management, and government sectors. Her expertise lie in the archaeology of the Canadian Plains and adjacent Rocky Mountains, landscape archaeology, spatial analysis, and Indigenous/decolonizing archaeological approaches. Lindsay has directed and managed several large excavation programs in southern Alberta, as well as large and small scale survey programs throughout Alberta and British Columbia. She has been involved in diverse projects related to heritage resources, including archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, and historic structures, among others. Lindsay has a special interest in fostering public awareness of the history of Alberta and archaeological resources present in Alberta and in engaging with Indigenous descendant communities.

Dr. Amundsen-Meyer’s research strives to understand and incorporate Indigenous worldviews in scientific study, as well as to understand how Indigenous groups and archaeologists can create authentic partnerships which lead to more meaningful interpretations of the past. Lindsay completed her Bachelor’s and Doctoral degrees at the University of Calgary, during which she studied archaeology and museum and heritage studies. Her dissertation research incorporated Blackfoot worldviews in archaeological study, demonstrating how ideologically important features in the Blackfoot landscape influenced settlement patterning on the Northwestern Plains and the associated archaeological signatures of this influence (Nested Landscapes: Ecological and Spiritual Use of Plains Landscape During the Late Prehistoric Period).

Research

Areas of Research

Canadian Plains Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Indigenous Archaeology, Geographic Information Systems

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Human dynamics in a changing world

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
ARKY 306 Archaeological Field Skills Spring 2024

Projects

Braiding Blackfoot Knowledge: Incorporating Indigenous Concepts of Space into Archaeological Site Interpretation and Significance

This study investigates how archaeological sites can be understood, assessed and managed not only relative to quantitative archaeological data, but also according to Blackfoot ways of knowing. To this end, we ask: 1) How can Blackfoot archaeological sites be assessed in a manner which incorporates Indigenous concepts of significance. 2) How can archaeological study braid together scientific method and traditional cultural knowledge to create more meaningful interpretations of the past. 3) How can heritage policy be crafted to include Indigenous perspectives while still meeting the needs of regulators and developers. Through these questions, our team is working to address the gap between traditional archaeology and Indigenous ways of knowing and responding to Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada which attempt to establish a new relationship between researchers and Indigenous communities. Data collection is complete, and we are winding down this study.

Re-Contextualizing Alberta’s Ranching History: Investigating the Life of John Ware

While Alberta has a rich and celebrated ranching history, there has been little consideration of the Indigenous peoples and Black immigrants who worked at places such as the Bar U Ranch (Northwest Cattle Company) and, in some cases, established their own ranches in southern Alberta. John Ware, referenced as Alberta’s first Black cowboy, is one such individual. Ware arrived in Alberta with a Northwest Cattle Company cattle drive in 1882, later homesteading west of Millarville, Alberta in 1888. With this research project, we will complete a program of archaeological and historical research intended to elevate the voices of John Ware and other minority figures, to add diversity to our understanding of Alberta’s post-contact ranching history. In doing so, we hope to contextualize modern events that occur every year, such as the Calgary Stampede, in a new way. 

Cultural Resource Management Labour Market and Job Satisfaction Study

This study examines the cultural resources management industry in Canada, to quantify the needs and opportunities for employment in this industry and to determine the critical skills and knowledge needed by industry professionals. We plan to use the data collected to analyze the job market for archaeological professionals in Canada and to complete a needs assessment which can guide teaching and learning in archaeology in a post-secondary context.

This study is in an early data collection phase.

Learning from the Land: The Application of Archaeological and Place-Based Learning as an Experiential Learning Tool for Building Intercultural Competency

Funding: University of Calgary Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant (PI Dr. Jennifer Adams)

This SOTL study builds on previous work to evaluate the efficacy of a teaching and learning environment which includes diverse voices and experiences in increasing student's intercultural competency. We have expanded the study to include data from multiple offerings of the ARKY 306 field school course, and hope to better understand how students can be involved in and guide their own learning in this context. Specifically, we ask what value or degree of value students attach to instructional methods in archaeological science which incorporate Indigenous teachers/Elders, where do students feel these methods could be improved, and how do students and educators see these pedagogical methods of teaching scientific concepts through a cultural lens translating into other courses and disciplines? The data collection phase for this study will extend from April- December 2024.

Learning from the Land: The Application of Archaeological and Place-Based Learning as an Experiential Learning Tool for Building Intercultural Competency

This scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) study examined the impacts to student learning of pedagogy which strives to be culturally inclusive and includes both archaeologists and Blackfoot Elders in teaching. Though the study is ongoing, results of the first stage of the research were published in the Journal of Archaeology and Education in 2023. This work highlights the importance of working with descendant communities and demonstrates the significant impact that decolonization of research and teaching has on student learning, including increasing student’s intercultural competency and overall empathy. By examining how pedagogy can be culturally inclusive, we also work to break down barriers to inclusion of Indigenous and other marginalized groups in archaeology and the STEM disciplines.

Awards

  • Queen Elizabeth the Second Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta), Government of Alberta. 2023
  • Killam Undergraduate Mentorship Award Faculty of Arts Nominee, University of Calgary Faculty of Arts. 2022
  • Heritage Calgary Award (Advocacy and Volunteerism), Heritage Calgary. 2021

Publications

  • Learning from the Land: The Application of Land-Based Learning as a Tool for Building Intercultural Competency. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, Kelsey Pennanen, Kristal Turner, Patricia Campos-Diaz and Vivian Ayoungman. Journal of Archaeology and Education. 7(2): Article 1. (2023)
  • Blazing the Trail: Geographic Information Systems Analysis of the Old North Trail. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer. Canadian Journal of Archaeology. 46(2):145-178. (2022)
  • Set in Stone: Re-examining Stone Feature Distribution and Form on the Northwestern Plains. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer and Jeremy J. Leyden. Plains Anthropologist. 65(255):175-202. (2020)
  • Creating a Spatial Dialogue: A’kee Piskun and Attachment to Place on the Northwestern Plains. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer. Plains Anthropologist. 60(234):124-129. (2015)
  • Nature vs. Culture: A Comparison of Blackfoot and Kayapó Resource Management. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer. Canadian Journal of Archaeology. 37(2):219-247. (2013)
  • Reflections on a Decade of Practice in Indigenous Archaeologies: A Perspective from Canada. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer. EAZ. (2025)

In the News