The annual fundraising dinner of Donalda and District Museum Society will be a special occasion to follow this year, in particular for those interested in the history of the area from an angle of First Nations and Métis presence .
The fall supper, as the event is known, will host Dr. Jack Brink, Archaeology Curator at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, as the guest speaker.
The theme of the discussion is Native History in the Donalda area and there are probably few other experts as qualified as Dr. Brink to speak on the subject, according to organizers.
Dr. Brink is best known for having spent 25 years researching and documenting the archaeology of the Porcupine Hills near Fort MacLeod, Alberta, according to information given by the Donalda Museum. His efforts there culminated in the construction of the UNESCO World Heritage site known as Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. He is also the author of the book “Imagining Head Smashed In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains”, published in 2008.
Dr. Brink received his B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota and his M.A. from the University of Alberta. His interests include cultural resource management, Plains archaeology, communal hunting, faunal analysis, large mammal behaviour and anatomy, and Aboriginal relations with archaeology.
Dr. Brink visited the Donalda area in 2008. He has observed firsthand the presence of past native cultures in the area and is aware of the remnants of at least one buffalo jump on the Battle River north of Donalda.
“He has a wonderful delivery and a fascinating set of images of his extensive travels in the province, which, I’m sure, will keep everyone on the edge of their seats,” says Myrna Coubrough of the museum.
The fall supper is on Saturday, Sept. 19, in the Donalda Community Hall. Doors open at 5:30. For more information please call the Museum office at 403 883-2100.