The women carving their place in archeology

Katsitsahente Cross-Delisle is used to digging at archeological sites – and she’s also used to digging out space for herself as an Indigenous woman in the archeology field.

“When I was a student, I remember starting to notice that other women were going through the same things I was. Our opinions weren’t taken the same as the men’s opinions,” Cross-Delisle said. “Women’s opinions were just that, opinions. But men’s opinions were the law. They were set in stone. There were a lot of hurdles and obstacles that I had to get through to be the archeologist that I am now.”

It’s fair to say that Cross-Delisle didn’t let herself get discouraged – now, she’s an important leader in the community, working at the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) as an archeology technician, where she takes part in major archaeological projects in and out of the community. She said she’s proud to work shoulder-to-shoulder with women in her role, including Kelly Marquis, who is MCK’s archeological consultant.

“We as women are leaders,” said Marquis. “We come from a matriarchal society in this community, and I think it’s really important to remember that in the Western world it was the opposite, it was patriarchal, and those influences came into archeology. But the women in this field are trying to break through that barrier, not just as women, but as Indigenous people.”

Though it hasn’t always been easy, Cross-Delisle said that there’s one main thing that’s kept her motivated to keep pursuing a career in archeology, even when she found herself in classrooms surrounded by almost all men, and even when she felt like her voice wasn’t taken seriously.

“It was always other women,” Cross-Delisle said.

One of those women is the late Christine Zachary Deom, who passed away in 2024.

Cross-Delisle remembers the first time she found ancestral remains on a dig. Unsure of what to do next, she called up the MCK and reached Zachary Deom.

That was the beginning of a mentor-mentee relationship that is the foundation of Cross-Delisle’s practice as an archeologist.

“Between the both of us, we really worked hard on trying to make sure that Kahnawake had its voice heard,” she said. “Christine was a powerhouse in Kahnawake. She stood up for our rights, she was standing up for her ancestors since she was a little girl, and she was working to make sure our voices were heard, not just as Kanien’kehá:ka people, but as women.”

Marquis said that the legacy of Zachary Deom has paved the way for future generations, and she points to her work as well as the tutelage of her late mentor, Geneviève Treyvaud, as what keeps her passion for the field alive.

“(Treyvaud) was one of the archeologists who took me under the wing, she wanted to show me things and expose me to things,” Marquis said. “She was a strong woman, she was very passionate about the work. There’s a sense of community among women archeologists.”

Marquis and Cross-Delisle can list numerous strong women who inspired them to keep pushing – both have fond memories of their supervisor Trina C. Diabo instilling in them a sense of responsibility to be the “eyes and ears” in the field – but perhaps what is most encouraging is that both women can look to each other as inspirations each day at the office.

“Kelly showed me the dedication she has, I’m very proud to work alongside her,” Cross-Delisle said.

Marquis also wants to encourage people to tell the women in their life that they’ve inspired them to keep pushing – she remembers the impact it had when Cross-Delisle told her that she had been inspired by her journey.

“It’s a really good feeling. Someone could be going about their life struggling, and they won’t know that they’ve inspired you unless you tell them. It’s good to tell people that, because I had no idea otherwise,” she said. “We have to support one another. We have to be there for each another.”

With International Women’s Day coming up this Sunday, Cross-Delisle hopes that young women in the community see the potential they have – and that she and Marquis can inspire those young women to keep fighting for their rights and the rights of future generations.

“Knowing your history, knowing where you come from, and being able to understand the past through our own cultural lens is so important to understanding who you are in the modern world,” Cross-Delisle said. “A lot of times as women we feel we need to act a certain way, speak a certain way, or even look a certain way. But we live in an era where being your authentic self is so important. So if you’re young and you have a dream, follow that dream, no matter how hard the path is.”

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