Act of archaeological vandalism

Dear members of the Bishop’s community,

I regret to inform you that an act of archaeological vandalism has taken place on a campus site of significance to the Abenaki Nation.

We do not know who is responsible for this, but we have been informed that similar actions have occurred recently elsewhere in the province.

Bishop’s University will not authorise any archeological dig on its property without the prior consent of the Abenaki Nation.

We have been working closely with representatives from the Ndakina Office of the Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki and the Government of Quebec to secure the protection of the site. The Ndakina Office has issued a press statement related to this discovery.

Vandalism, unauthorized digging and climate change can all result in the desecration and destruction of Indigenous sites, and we hope that this sad event can serve as a stark reminder of our responsibility to act as good stewards of the land on which we gather.

Let us reflect on the words of Odanak Chief Rick O’Bomsawin: “Our link to our ancestors is an essential element of the healing and reconciliation process between our nations. We hope this will help us realize that we still have a lot of work to do.”

We have asked the members of our Security team to be on alert and ask that you advise them if you should see anyone conducting any digging that you consider suspicious.

Michael Goldbloom, C.M.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor