At the Crossroads

Set in Gitxsan territory in Northern British Columbia, At the Crossroads provides a first-hand account of a cultural resource management (CRM) project. Beginning with the initial client call, the book lays out the challenges of a tight timeline, limited budget, and hastily pulled together team. Working with competing interest and a discipline in need of modernizing, Jennifer Botica reflects on her experience as a consulting archaeologist, living in camp, excavating sites, working within heritage legislation, and collaborating with local First Nations. Reflecting on the project a decade after it was completed, Botica considers not only the work of her own team, which pushed back the dates for occupation on the Skeena River, but also her own practice as a consulting archaeologist coming of age at a time when issues related to Indigenous title and rights, heritage sovereignty, community-based research, gender, and power could no longer be ignored. Offering a unique perspective on the field, At the Crossroads presents a thoughtful critical analysis of CRM and the changing nature of archaeology as it moves to a more equitable, sustainable, informed, and ethical practice.