Labrador CURA

Excavating Indian Harbour, Labrador

There is a lot of archaeological work being done in Labrador these days.  In southern and central Labrador, much of the research focuses on the origin and history of the Inuit Métis.   Labrador CURA, 'Understanding the Past to Build the Future', is a collaborative effort between researchers and Métis to explore the first 500 years of Métis history through archaeology, ethnography, archival research and geneology.  CURAs, or Community-University Research Alliances, are partnerships between academic researchers and the public that have been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.  Lisa Rankin from Memorial University of Newfoundland is the project's Principal Investigator, but there is a long list of researchers, students, and community members participating.

Working Title: The People of NunatuKavut

Archaeologists working in Newfoundland and Labrador are leaders in communicating their research to the communities they work in and the public at large.  'Understanding the Past to Build the Future' is generating a growing list of articles related to the project and one of the most interesting aspects of the Labrador CURA is the way it has been using film to explore and record the Métis story.   CURA has put cameras into the hands of students in Labrador so that they could tell their own stories through film.  Researchers have documented their archaeological work and there is even a movie in production chronicling the history and archaeology of the Inuit Métis.

You've seen a handful of photos from CURA supported projects on this site in the past, in particular Amelia Fay's puzzling artifacts from Nain.  Check out the CURA gallery for more photos of artifacts and work in progress.  New information is streaming out of the project all the time - at the moment, two archaeologists are blogging about their adventures  as they travel to southern Labrador to film in communities for the CURA film, The People of NunatuKavut: (Laura Eliza Silverado: Adventures in Labrador).


If you want to keep up with Labrador CURA, you can visit their website: Understanding the Past to Build the Future. , friend them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter; @Labrador_Cura.

Photo Credits: 
Photo 1: Lisa Rankin, from Labrador CURA website
Photo 2: Eliza Brandy, From Labrador CURA website
Photo 3: Screencapture from Labrador CURA website