David Finch

David Finch headshot

PhD Candidate, Dept. of Archaeology, Memorial University

Supervisor: Dr. Scott Neilsen 

My research focuses on Innu cultural landscapes and heritage management in Labrador. The research program has been designed with the Innu Nation to document Innu perceptions of heritage management, centred on parks and cultural sites as they are at risk from development and climate change. Interviews with land managers and heritage specialists are paired with archaeological fieldwork in order to understand land use, exchange skills with Innu guardians, and build local capacity in cultural resource management.

My background includes archaeology, ethnography, and regulatory systems in Manitoba, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories. My past work has concerned the history of wildlife management and impacts upon northern Indigenous communities; ethnohistory and occupancy research for First Nations; mitigation of burials and Fur Trade sites affected by hydroelectric development; documentation of historic mining sites; and forensic investigations of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

Email: dmfinch@mun.ca