About Us

Background

The Institute of Prairie Archaeology was created in May of 2008, when it was approved by the Provost and Vice President Academic through the General Faculties Council Academic Planning Committee of the University.

In July 2019, Dr. Kisha Supernant became the new director and initiated the change to the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology (IPIA) to expand on the previous scope and emphasize the importance of Indigenous approaches to archaeology. The IPIA is the first institute in the world with a focus on Indigenous archaeology. The research, teaching, and policy work of the Institute remain focused on the prairie regions and western Canada, with global implications for Indigenous archaeology.

The Institute is housed in dedicated facilities at Tory 1-42 on the University of Alberta North Campus and the Director reports jointly to the Chair, Department of Anthropology and the Associate Dean for Research, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta.

Learn more about our values and mission, our Director, and the people associated with IPIA.