Dig It! Delta's Chinatown - Delta Museum and Archives

Dig It! Delta’s Chinatown

Pre-Visit Information Package

Delta Museum and Archives Society 4918 Delta Street, Delta BC V4K 2T8 (T) 604-946-9322 (F) 604-946-5791 Email: [email protected]

Dig It! Delta’s Chinatown Delta Museum and Archives Society Pre-Visit Information Package | 2

Program Description During this 2 hour program your students will students take on the role of archaeologists while excavating and analyzing artifacts during a simulated dig to unearth the history of Delta’s Chinatown. Students will learn about the key skills, tools, and processes used by archaeologists and will work to discover the significance of Delta’s Chinatown. Children will be digging in dirt during this program. Therefore it is imperative that they come dressed appropriately. Curriculum Relevance Dig It! Delta’s Chinatown meets several prescribed learning outcomes for social studies, math, and science: • While exploring the Historical significance of Delta’s Chinatown, students look at why early

Chinese immigrants came to Canada, the challenges they faced, and their contributions to the country. They also examine the development of Delta’s Chinatown in connection to the development of the salmon canneries in the surrounding area.

• Students apply critical thinking skills when gathering, analyzing, comparing, and presenting evidence and information from both primary and secondary sources, including archaeological and archival evidence.

• Students use measuring devices to locate an object within the area of a rectangle • During a stratigraphy activity, students will examine how changes in the earth’s surface over

time impacts archaeology

Preparing for Your Visit There are a few things you can do to help make the field trip run smoother. Before arriving at the Museum’s Annex Building, please organize the class into three groups with an adult supervisor in charge of each group. Encourage the supervisors to stay with their groups throughout the program, assist with keeping order amongst the students, participate when asked, and wait until the end of the program to ask questions of personal interest. Have your students wear “first name” tags when they come to the museum so that the Docents can call them by name. Remind the students to follow directions given by the Docents. Be on time for the program, and most importantly, have fun! Location Please note this program takes place at the DMAS Annex building located at 4918 Delta Street, two blocks north of the main Museum building. Parking is available there. If you require directions, please see our website at www.deltamuseum.ca.

http://www.deltamuseum.ca/�


Program Outline

An Introduction to Archaeology Through looking at images, tools, artifacts, and engaging in discussion students will begin to develop an understanding of Archaeology and will be introduced to the idea of historical significance. Stratigraphy and the history of Delta’s Chinatown Using images of artifacts and historical photographs, students will recreate a timeline of Delta’s Chinatown following an historical narrative. Through this activity, students will simultaneously come to understand the concept of stratigraphy and will be introduced to the history of Delta’s Chinatown.

Mock Excavation By taking part in a mock excavation of Delta’s Chinatown, students will learn the proper techniques and tools used in archaeological excavation. Students will understand why archaeologists work slowly and will learn what information is recorded as archaeological data in excavations.

Artifact Analysis Students will use their critical thinking skills as they analyze replica artifacts from the Chinatown site. Each student will complete an Artifact Report for an object of their choice. Students will then work in groups to more closely examine the artifacts and their meaning. As a group, students will choose one artifact and prepare a short presentation on it. Conclusion: Piecing together the Evidence The entire class will gather together and each group will present their chosen artifact. Students will then be shown some real artifacts from Delta’s Chinatown. As a class, students will piece together the information they have uncovered about Delta’s Chinatown and work to understand its significance.


Classroom Activities

Pre-visit Activity 1: An introduction to Archaeology Ask the students to brainstorm what they think archaeology is. Have them share their answers with the class and record them as a mind map or web on the board with “Archaeology” in the middle. The web should include tools, objects or people that represent archaeology. Use the questions and information on the “Archaeology” Introduction handout on page 8 to lead the discussion. Provide each student a copy of the Introduction handout for reference on what has been discussed in class and distribute the Introduction Worksheet on page 9 and ask the students to answer the questions on the Introduction Worksheet using the information from the “Archaeology” Introduction Handout. This worksheet can be used as homework for students to review what has been discussed in class. Pre-visit Activity 2: Importance of Education to Archaeology It is important for Archaeologists to know as much as possible about many things, such as the environment, geography, and the people whom they are studying, before they begin digging. Otherwise, they will not be able to correctly interpret the evidence they find during their dig. a. What is evidence? In archaeology, evidence is information that can be used to support ideas about past people such as artifacts and sediments/soils. When looking at evidence, students should always be critical with the information presented to them instead of accepting it as completely accurate and unbiased. It is very important for students to develop and use their critical thinking skills because our interpretation of evidence, which leads to our understanding of the past, influences how we view cultures of the past and present. b. How can we understand objects we have never used? How do we interpret artifacts? How do we know when an object is an artifact? Explain to the students that to understand the significance of an object, it is very important to learn the history and background of the people who lived on the site. It becomes a continuous circle. Since we know the history, we can make interpretations of what the object could have been used for and the object allows us to further understand the history of the people who lived on the site. Read the story called “Discovering the Deltans” together as a class. Tell the students to imagine that they are reading a report completed by an archaeologist from the year 3000. The archaeologist has found an artifact and written down what he thinks it is. However, the archaeologist has got it wrong. As you read the story to the class, the students are to secretly write


down their guess of what the object might be. After you finish reading the story, have the students reveal what they thought the object was. The object is actually a salmon can. Discuss how the archaeologist may have come to the wrong conclusion and what information may have helped him figure out what the artifact really was. Afterwards, introduce the students to the history of Delta’s Chinatown by having the students read the article, Uncovering the Past: Delta’s Chinatown, on page 10.

Discovering the Deltans The Deltans were an ancient people who lived beside the Fraser River. The Fraser River was an important resource that provided food, employment and transportation. In their search to learn more about how Deltans have lived in the past, archaeologists have found a variety of weapons at sites the Deltans were believed to have lived and worked. In particular, one of the artifacts was found underneath an abandoned air force military site beside the Fraser River that was used by the Deltans. The object was found at about 550 cm below the surface and archaeologists have estimated it to be around 1100 years old. After the analysis of the object, archaeologists believe that the artifact was a weapon used by the Deltans against enemies who also wanted the resources the Fraser River provided. The object is made of durable tin metal and is circular with a flat top and base. It seems that the weapon was designed to be easily portable as it fits easily into the palm of one hand. Therefore, the weapon could have been easily thrown at the enemy. Or perhaps because they were light, many of them could be put onto an aircraft and thrown down at the enemy. There aren’t any drawings or writings on the artifact except the word “CANADA” on one side of the flat metal surfaces. Perhaps this was an identification label as the weapon may have been used against enemy countries. It seems that the weapon was defective as we noticed that there was a small hole in it. One of the archaeologist claimed that the smell that came out was rotten and poisonous. It was quickly sealed in a container and sent to the lab to prevent any contamination. We have found hundreds of the object at the abandoned air force military site which leads us to believe that the Deltans did not have wars frequently and were in fact quite peaceful. However, because we have found hundreds, it appears that the Deltans were ready to attack or to defend themselves if provoked or threatened.


All that remains of the site today are abandoned. Archaeologists are now planning to test out the potential explosiveness and strength of the weapon. They think the best way to test the object would be to drop the weapon into the Fraser River.

Post-visit Activity 1 Hand out the Archaeology Crossword Worksheet on pages 11 and12 for students to fill out so they can have a list of the methods and tools used in archaeological excavations. Post-visit Activity 2 Ask the students to get into groups of 2-4. Write the following topics on the board and explain to the students that they are to choose one of the following topics to research: • Canneries • Role of the Chinese Men in the Canneries • Compare Delta’s Chinatowns to other Chinatowns in BC (ie. Victoria, Vancouver, Chilliwack) • The role of the Chinese in the building of the CPR railroad • The Head Tax • Multiculturalism and Racism • Chinese Culture (ie: festival and holidays) • Immigration to B.C./Canada The goal of the project is to use what the students have learned already about Delta’s history and link it to the bigger British Columbian and/or Canadian history.


Vocabulary ARCHAEOLOGY: The study of past human cultures through material remains. ARTIFACT: an object that is made by or in some way used by humans. B.P.: “Before Present” The characters commonly used after dates (E.g. 1000 B.P. = 1000 years before 1950 A.D., or approximately 1000 A.D.) This term is generally used by archaeologists to refer to dates that were determined through radiocarbon dating. CONTEXT: The relationship artifacts have to each other and the situation in which they are found. CULTURE: The patterned (learned and taught) ways of behaving, thinking and feeling that characterize human groups. DATUM: A fixed point on an archaeological site from which measurements are taken of artifacts and objects, a mark that never moves. D.B.S: Short for “Depth Below Surface” or the distance straight down from the ground. DEPOSIT: A build-up of solid materials. DRY SCREENING: Putting soil through mesh to find artifacts not discovered during excavation. SEDIMENT: Material that has been deposited from water, ice or wind. SHERDS: Pieces of pottery. SITE: Any location with evidence of past human activity. STRATIGRAPHY: The study of deposited layers within a site.

Questions or Concerns If you have any questions or concerns about the program activities or how this program meets the curriculum, please contact Carol Ballard at [email protected] or 604.946.9322.

So how do we learn about the people who lived in the past if they did not leave any written records? We can learn about the people who lived long ago through ARCHAEOLOGY.

What is archaeology? ARCHAEOLOGY comes from the Greek language which means “the study of ancient things”. Archaeology is the study of human CULTURES through the things they left behind. Culture is the learned and taught ways of behaving, thinking and feeling that characterize named human groups.

What is an archaeologist? What does an archaeologist do? An archaeologist uncovers and studies the objects that people have left behind as evidence of how people have lived in the past. When archaeologists dig, they look for clues about life in the past like detectives. These “ancient,” or sometimes not-so-ancient, things are called ARTIFACTS; an artifact is any object that has been changed or created by humans.

How do I become an archaeologist? To become an archaeologist, you need to go to university to learn about the culture and history of the people from where you want to dig and to learn how to dig properly. You need to learn many different subjects such as geography when we need to look at the soil and the environment of a site. Or geology, as stones and rocks are the most common artifacts found by archaeologists because they last longer than wood or plants.

What is an archaeological site? Archaeological sites are places that have clues about past human activities. They are non-renewable which means that once they are destroyed they are gone. Therefore, these sites are protected by a law called the Heritage Conservation Act which was passed in 1977. Archaeological sites can be on public or private lands and they are protected on both. Therefore, if you have an archaeological site on your land you cannot just excavate it or build on it as you like. You should step away if you think you have found a site where you are digging and tell an adult.

What are the steps archaeologists take before an excavation? 1. Get a permit from the government and permission of the landowners and the ancestral peoples of that land. If you excavate an archaeological site without a permit, you can go to jail for up to two years and pay fines of up to $1 000 000. 2. Contact the local people and experts to learn about the site.

What do I do if I see an artifact? When an archeologist finds an artifact, they are given to a museum or university. If you find an artifact, contact your local museum or the official governmental archaeology branch. In a museum, artifacts can be properly preserved and shared with other people in the future. However, it is important to be careful as in some cases we take artifacts to a museum, but most of the time you do not want to disturb an archaeology site, leave it to the professionals.

Archaeology


Name _________________ Date__________________ Introduction Worksheet 1. What is archaeology? ____________________________________________________________ 2. What is an artifact? ____________________________________________________________ 3. List two subjects that are important for archaeologists to study. ___________________________ ____________________________ 4. List two requirements an archaeologist needs to fulfill before excavating a site. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 5. What do you do if you find an artifact? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bonus! 6. List two problems that you think archaeologists might face. a)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ b)______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Archaeology Uncovering Delta’s Chinatown

The Chinese community in Ladner’s Chinatown existed from about 1878 to 1929. The Chinese first came to the area in 1858 from San Francisco to try their luck at the Fraser River gold-rush. There were also other Chinese workers who came to Canada under contract to work on the railways and in the canneries. Ladner’s Chinatown was built west of the Ladner Village between the Wadham’s Cannery and Delta Cannery. The population who lived in Chinatown was mostly male. Living in the late

1800s and early 1900s, they cooked on brick stoves and used Chinese porcelain bowls and manufactured glass such as medicine bottles that were exported from China to North America. The majority of the people in Chinatown worked in the canneries nearby. In 1902, five Delta canneries closed with the decline in salmon stock. With the advancement in technology, fewer workers were needed; this caused some of the Chinese to move away from Chinatown. There were two fires in Chinatown. The first fire was in 1914 in which two stores were destroyed but the rest of the buildings were saved by the lack of air movement. However, the second fire in 1929 was devastating as 12 to 15 houses were completely burned down. Metals such as Chinese coins from copper and brass did not burn, however, materials such as glass were melted and the houses made of wood were

burnt down. After the second fire, Chinatown was not rebuilt and many of the Chinese population left the community. From 1929-1989, the land that was Chinatown was farmed and Chinese farmers grew cabbage, potatoes and picked berries. Also, a marina operated on the Fraser River. In the early 1990s, Robin Hooper started to excavate at the Chinatown site after receiving his permit. In his excavation, he found many bottles and some parts of leather and bones that had survived in the soil. Today, a large condominium exists on the site. _____________________ This article is created by the Delta Museum and Archives based on the information from George Robin Hooper’s “Dragon Harvest: Artifacts from Ladner’s Chinatown”, B.C., Simon Fraser University; 3-13, 1992.

August 4, 2011

Uncovering the Past: Delta’s Chinatown


Name ________________ Date ________________ The Tools & Methods of Archaeology

Provided By: TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker

The words below are some tools and methods of archaeology. If the answer has two words, they are connected in the crossword as if they are one word. Use the clues and the word bank provided below to fill in the puzzle.

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/printable-worksheets/make-your-own/crossword/�


Across

1. A tool that is used to enlarge objects or words to look at it more closely. 4. An important tool allowing archaeologists to take pictures of their observations. 5. An instrument for finding direction (north, south, east and west). 6. A point or object from which all measurements are taken of artifacts and objects, a mark that never moves. 10. A method of putting the excavated matrix through a mesh screen. 14. This method can uncover the most artifacts and does the least amount of damage on fragile objects. While it is slow, this is the most common and preferred method. 15. A machine used when archaeologists want a site to be excavated and dug quickly.

Down

2. A tool used to measure long and horizontal distance. Need a minimum of 30 meters for any mapping situation. 3. A light stick that is marked with metric divisions and is used to measure how deep an artifact is in the excavation pit. 7. A tool that is used in mapping so mistakes can be fixed or changed. 8. An important method for getting small animal and plant remains. Sediment samples are put in water and particles that float to the surface are skimmed off. 9. A tool used to find location with high accuracy and can be used in all weather. 11. This method allows sites to be excavated faster. But many artifacts are missed and cause more damage to artifacts than troweling. 12. A tool used to record all the observations seen during an excavation by using words and images. 13. A tool used to carry soil and sediments for moving and transporting 15. The method of returning the soil and sediments that were dug out back into the pits. Camera Datum Magnifying Glass

Shoveling Troweling Compass Pencil Stadia Rod Flotation Backfilling Bucket GPS Screening Field Journal Bulldozer Surveyors Tape


Documents

Dig It! Delta's Chinatown - Delta Museum and Archives