This book presents the work of the E’se’get Archaeology Project, a community-based research endeavor focused on defining the archaeological record of Port Joli Harbour, Nova Scotia. The book describes in detail the findings of five seasons (2008-2012) of survey and excavation in Port Joli, and ten years of laboratory analysis, undertaken by the Canadian Museum of History, in collaboration with Acadia First Nation. It also incorporates data recovered from previous archaeological work conducted in Port Joli by Erskine, Raddall, Millard, and others, providing a complete synthesis of one of Nova Scotia’s richest Indigenous archaeological records.

Reviving the art of a traditional archaeology “site monograph”, the work provides a complete presentation of all the archaeological information recovered, including full-colour artifact plates, technical drawings, profiles, and maps, in addition to a complete data description and synthesis. The final chapter presents a culture history of the Port Joli, summarizing how the “pretty harbour” became a central place for Mi’kmaq prior to the arrival of Europeans. A copublication with the Canadian Museum of History.

Published in English.

Matthew Betts is the Curator of Eastern Archaeology at the Canadian Museum of History. For over a decade, he has collaborated with the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia to explore and protect their archaeological heritage.