Civilization.ca - Sites Online Web Map Service (WMS)

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Data Dictionary

Borden Number

FIELD NAME

Borden Number

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates the unique Borden Number assigned to the site.
The Borden System of Site Identification is a national system and provides a unique identifier for each archaeological site in Canada.
As a general rule, a site must be at least 50 years old and abandoned before qualifying for a Borden Number.

FORMAT:

First alpha character upper case, second alpha character lower case, third upper case, forth lower case, followed by a hyphen and numeric.

Any extraneous characters after the sequence number must be separated with a space (example: MkVl-9 A).

COMMENTS

The Borden System is an alphanumeric system used to assign a unique identifier to each archaeological site reported in Canada. The system consists of a grid based on the National Topographic Series of maps published by Natural Resources Canada. Two upper case alpha characters, forming a sequence, which runs from south to north and from east to west, identify each grid block. Each upper case alpha is followed by a lower case alpha, which designates a subdivision of the grid block based on latitude and longitude. Sites within each lower case block are assigned sequential numbers by a responsible institution. This field is mandatory in Sites Inventory records.

EXAMPLES

CcCq-3
JfVg-1
LiPk-1
KKlN-4

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Upper Borden

FIELD NAME

Upper Borden

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates the two upper case characters contained in the Borden Number of the site.

COMMENTS

SEARCHABLE.

EXAMPLES

JU
MD
NH

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Lower Borden

FIELD NAME

Lower Borden

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates the two lower case characters contained in the Borden Number of the site.

COMMENTS

NOT SEARCHABLE but the data is returned in query results.

EXAMPLES

bt
le
if

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Sequence Number

FIELD NAME

Sequence Number

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates the sequence portion of the Borden Number of the site. See also the Borden Number field.

COMMENTS

NOT SEARCHABLE but the data is returned in query results. Note that single digit sequence numbers are zero-filled to one space in this field to aid in sorting.

EXAMPLES

01
12
136

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Site Name

FIELD NAME

Site Name

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates all names by which the site is or has been known including traditional place names.

COMMENTS

NOT SEARCHABLE but the data is returned in query results

EXAMPLES

Otter Falls #1
Tsiigeh tshik
Arnakadlak
Mitchells Wharf

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Designated Heritage Sites and National Parks Sites

FIELD NAME

Designated Heritage Sites and National Parks Sites

FIELD DEFINITION

This field flags designated heritage sites or indicates the name of the National Park in which the site is located.

COMMENTS

SEARCHABLE. View a table of searchable terms.

EXAMPLES

Designated Heritage Site
Auyuittuq National Park
Kluane Naitional Park

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Territory/Province

FIELD NAME

Territory/Province

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates the territory or province in which the site is located. See examples for format used.

COMMENTS

NOT SEARCHABLE but the data is returned in query results

EXAMPLES

YUKON NWT
NUNAVUT
PEI

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District/County

FIELD NAME

District/County

FIELD DEFINITION

Field contains the district (where applicable) in which the site is located. It may also apply to regional districts and counties.

COMMENTS

This field must be filled for all Nunavut and PEI sites. NOT SEARCHABLE but the data is returned in query results.

EXAMPLES

Authority list for Nunavut districts*:
North Baffin
South Baffin
West Kitikmeot
East Kitikmeot
Keewatin
Sanikiluaq

Authority list for PEI for counties:
Prince
Queens
Kings

*Source: Nunavut Planning Commission- Land Use Planning Regions, 1999.

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Site Type Class

FIELD NAME

Site Type Class

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates a first level classification of the site type based on its associated period of occupation and/or function.

FORMAT

An Authority List is in effect.
Tentative assignations are identified by the entry of a space "?" after the term.
Indigenous sites dated pre-1950 are classified as "pre-contact" or "indigenous historic".
Non-indigenous sites dated pre-1950 are classified as "historic".
All sites dated post-1950 are listed as "contemporary".
As a general rule, a site must be at least 50 years old and abandoned before qualifying for a Borden Number.

COMMENTS

NOT SEARCHABLE but the data is returned in query results.

EXAMPLES : Authority List :

pre-contact;:;précontact
historic;:;historique
indigenous historic;:;historique indigène
contemporary;:;contemporain
undetermined;:;indéterminé
natural;:;naturel

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Site Type

FIELD NAME

Site Type

FIELD DEFINITION

Generally, the field indicates the main type of activity that occurred at the site as in ''campsite (hunting). It can also describe the type of archaeological site as in ''isolated find'' or ''sacred site''.

COMMENTS

View a list of terms occurring in this field.

NOT SEARCHABLE but the data is returned in query results.

EXAMPLES

campsite (hunting)
station (hunting)
campsite (fishing)
workshop (lithic)
lookout
RCMP
isolated find
sacred

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Site Features

FIELD NAME

Features

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates observable archaeological features at the site.

COMMENTS

Natural features are occasionally recorded especially if they are of cultural significance. A mountain figuring in a local legend or ancient waterfalls or long-used thermal springs are examples.

SEARCHABLE. View the Site Features Look-up Table of searchable terms.

EXAMPLES

scatter (lithic)
tent ring
hearth
cache
house (mid-passage)
caribou fence
inuksuk

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Culture

FIELD NAME

Culture

FIELD DEFINITION

This field indicates the specific cultural affiliation(s) assigned to the site by the researcher.

COMMENTS

Tentative assignations are identified by the entry of a space “?” after the term.

SEARCHABLE. View more details on cultural data.

EXAMPLES

Taye Lake
Inuvialuit
Dogrib
ASTt ?
Pre-Dorset
Thule
Inuit
Acadian