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Brian Thom

@b-thom.bsky.social
74 followers 52 following 51 posts

Anthropology professor at UVic (University of Victoria), Cordova Bay, Saanich, Vancouver Island. Does not play enough D&D.

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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Are you interested in grad school (deadline to apply is Jan 15)? Anthropology grad student, Taylor, discusses her research in West Africa @uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social #anthropology #gradschool www.instagram.com/reel/DdmON7k...
instagram.com
UVic Faculty of Social Sciences on Instagram: "Are you interested in grad school (deadline is Jan 15)? Anthropology grad student, Taylor, discusses her research in West Africa. #uvic #anthropology #gr...
10 likes, 0 comments - uvicsosc on September 22, 2026: "Are you interested in grad school (deadline is Jan 15)? Anthropology grad student, Taylor, discusses her research in West Africa. #uvic #anthrop...
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Dr Brian Thom talks about the historic E&N Railway land grant, what it means for today, & how maps and ideas of property can inform understandings of the great land grab. TheGreatLandGrab.ca to learn about the exhibit @uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social @b-thom.bsky.social tinyurl.com/2026glgbt
tinyurl.com
The Great Land Grab Interviews: Professor Brian Thom
In this interview, Professor Brian Thom from the University of Victoria introduces us to the historic E&N Railway land grant, what it means for today, and how maps and ideas of property can inform our understanding of the great land grab. Visit TheGreatLandGrab.ca to learn more about the exhibit now travelling Vancouver Island. Dr. Brian Thom’s research investigates the critical intersections of Indigenous legal orders, governance, and land rights with colonial state power, focusing on the dynamics of knowledge, culture, and place. His award-winning, community-engaged scholarship, conducted in close collaboration with Indigenous communities in Coast Salish territories, integrates ethnographic, archaeological, and applied policy research approaches to support Indigenous self-determination, advance reconciliation, and foster transformative public understanding. Chapters: 0:00-3:00 Introduction 3:01-6:03 Conflict and the E&N Railway grant 6:04-11:22 Who benefits? 11:23-15:06 What can we do? 15:07-18:37 Maps and the land grab 18:38-22:47 The legal system 22:48-27:55 BC Treaty process 27:56-29:15 Cultural sites on private lands 29:16-35:20 What is property? 35:21-37:43 What's next?
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Reposted by Brian Thom
Vancouver Island Local History Society @vilocalhistory.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
🚨Attention educators! Consider teaching The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab. Our exhibit Learning Guide is available in English or French and links to the BC Curriculum for Social Studies 9, Socials 10, BC First Peoples 12, Social Justice 12, and Law Studies 12: TheGreatLandGrab.ca
thegreatlandgrab.ca
The Great Land Grab – Travelling Exhibit | Exposition itinérante
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Reposted by Brian Thom
qmackie @qmackie.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Tenure track Assistant Professor opening at @uvicanthro.bsky.social @uvic.ca with preference for, but not exclusively limited to, Indigenous archaeologist and speciality in Salish Sea archaeology. 🏺please share. www.uvic.ca/faculty-staf...
uvic.ca
UVic ANTH Assistant Professor NWC Archaeology - Faculty & staff - University of Victoria
Inspired by and honouring place, we are a community-minded, globally engaged university where we transform ideas into meaningful impact.
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Exciting new Assistant Professor position for a new archaeologist in our wonderful department! Come join us and be part of something special! www.uvic.ca/faculty-staf... @uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social @uvicscholcom.bsky.social #anthropology #archaeology
uvic.ca
ANTH 280-210 - Faculty & staff - University of Victoria
Inspired by and honouring place, we are a community-minded, globally engaged university where we transform ideas into meaningful impact.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
BC has had legislation to protect petroglyphs like this since *1925*!!
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Congrats to Brian Thom & Kathleen Johnnie on their new chapter, Mapping the Aspirations and Challenges of the Hul’q’umi’num’ Peoples. tinyurl.com/bthom9 Read a Q&A abt the pub. by Anne McLauren: tinyurl.com/rpbth @uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social @uvicscholcom.bsky.social @b-thom.bsky.social
tinyurl.com
Research profile, Brian Thom - Social Sciences - University of Victoria
Inspired by and honouring place, we are a community-minded, globally engaged university where we transform ideas into meaningful impact.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Google Earth Pro desktop downloads are ending 1 year from now. Local software will still run & KML data stays interoperable, but the writing is on the wall. Time to finally transition the workflow. 🌐 #GoogleEarth #KML #ethnographicmapping #Anthropolodon #Mapping support.google.com/earth/thread...
Two people looking up at a GIANT Google Earth screen at Google HQ, with the blue globe of the entire earth centred, and the "Google" name in large letters on a wooden stand for the screen.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
You can read a few reviews here: www.wired.com/story/commod... @wired.com www.wallpaper.com/tech/commodo... @wallpapermag.bsky.social www.androidcentral.com/phones/commo... @androidcentral.bsky.social
wired.com
Commodore Made a Digital Detox Phone That Isn’t Dumb
With a retro look and T9 texting, the Commodore Callback 8020 smart flip phone taps into the nostalgic yearning for simpler days. It can run Spotify and Uber, but Instagram is blocked.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
If anyone is interested today (June 30) you can use the launch day Promo code CHICKENLIPS to get an additional $50 off, and if you want you can use my referral code for an additional $10 off. checkout.commodore.net/referral/kZE....
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
PSA: Pre-orders start for #Commodore 8020, a high-end flip phone that encourages being off your phone, w/o giving up things like Google Maps, Uber, WhatsApp, etc. At $600+CAD it's not a cheap phone, but may be a worthwhile experiment in retro-technology built for today @commodoreofficial.bsky.social
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Concerning advice from the legal community to BC realtors about archaeological heritage...
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Great work @moaubc.bsky.social !! This is such an important project, love that it is seeing this new light!
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Brian Thom is interviewed about the significance of the BC Court of Appeals new decision that found Nuchatlaht Aboriginal title in 100% of their claim area, and the role of anthropology in such cases. tinyurl.com/ywt28uxx @uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social @b-thom.bsky.social #anthropology
ici.radio-canada.ca
Sur quoi fonder les preuves de titres ancestraux?
Des titres ancestraux additionnels ont été accordés aux Autochtones de l’île Nootka, après un renversement de jugement d'un tribunal en Colombie-Britannique.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
This is important work. Glad to see this getting done!
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Archaeology Field Course: ANTH 343 - Archaeological Field Techniques - Summer 2026 The Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria is organizing a local field course this summer 2026. @uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social #anthropology #archaeology
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Side hustle to sustainability: 23-year-old entrepreneur gives old furniture new life cheknews.ca/side-hustle-... @cheknews.ca #saanich #victoriabc @victoriachamber.bsky.social #circulareconomy
cheknews.ca
Side hustle to sustainability: 23-year-old entrepreneur gives old furniture new life
At just 23 years old, Victoria's Elwyn Thom is the owner of Recertified Furniture that’s giving high-end pieces a second chance, creating affordability and keeping them out of the landfill.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
New feature article in the The Tyee today about Recertified Furniture! The Victoria Man with a Plan for Your Old Sofa via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/WhatWorks/20... #saanich #victoriabc
thetyee.ca
The Victoria Man with a Plan for Your Old Sofa | The Tyee
Meet Elwyn Thom, the 23-year-old founder of Recertified Furniture.
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Some projects in Anthropology track across decades, subfields, and disciplines. In 1994, Brian Thom was a grad student excavating Ye'yumnuts - land then slated for development. Today, thanks to Cowichan Tribes, it is a protected Wildlife Management Area. @uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comm...
timescolonist.com
Comment: B.C. archeological sites are not a ‘misfortune’
The Heritage Conservation Act is in urgent need of reform.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
www.pressreader.com/canada/times...
pressreader.com
PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions
Digital newsstand featuring 7000+ of the world’s most popular newspapers & magazines. Enjoy unlimited reading on up to 5 devices with 7-day free trial.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Indigenous Archaeological sites in BC are not 'misfortunes'. My op-ed about the again-delayed reforms to the Heritage Conservation Act looks to Japan for inspiration in protecting and caring for Indigenous archaeological places. @uvicanthro.bsky.social @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social
Photo of op-ed published in the Saturday newspaper.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
The elephant in the room has always been this issue. Creative solutions are needed: Bring archaeology entirely into the public service again, run by First Nations and regional governments? Create a system of mandatory archaeology insurance run by ICBC? Create federal legislation that bears costs?
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
This case is going to change the footing though. Governments (provincial and Indigenous) are going to have to rethink how to approach this.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Personally I think the "security through obscurity" approach needs to end, though I do appreciate why Indigenous communities don't want to have their petroglyph, pictograph, burial, and other special places generally knowable to the public: we have a social problem as well as a legislation problem.
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Reposted by Brian Thom
qmackie @qmackie.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
"Our recent study indicates there are between 419 and 713 archeologists [sic] employed in CRM in Canada. These are almost certainly underestimates. However, our study further suggests that labour market demand is outpacing supply." @b-thom.bsky.social 🏺 theconversation.com/canada-has-t...
theconversation.com
Canada has too few professional archeologists, and that has economic consequences
Protecting heritage in Canada requires training more archeologists and equipping them with the tools and education to do so.
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Reposted by Brian Thom
Ben Marwick @benmarwick.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
We looked at 10 years of archaeology tenure-track job ads (2013–2023) to see what departments actually ask for: topics, methods, regions, and application materials. Open-access paper: doi.org/10.1017/aaq.... Data and R code used for the study are openly available here doi.org/10.5281/zeno... 🧪
First page of journal article with title, authors, and abstract
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
@uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social #anthroplogy
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
New story in the Discourse featuring an interview with Luschiim and me on the Cowichan Title case thediscourse.ca/cowichan-val...
thediscourse.ca
What the Quw'utsun Nation court case reveals about private land ownership and Indigenous title in B.C. – The Discourse.
After an unprecedented 513-day trial, Quw'utsun Nation court case ruling sets high burden of proof First Nations need to be declared title-holders
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
@noxon.bsky.social is going to be our special in person guest speaker next week, talking about 3D imaging, with some practical tips! If you can be here, come join us!
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Reposted by Brian Thom
UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
@uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social @b-thom.bsky.social www.timescolonist.com/local-news/e...
timescolonist.com
Exchange highlights parallels between Cowichan Tribes, Japan's Jōmon peoples
The Jōmon are a group of salmon-oriented peoples who lived similar lifestyles to the Coast Salish until rice farming was introduced to the Japanese archipelago.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Your voice is crucial. HCA transformation needs thoughtful input, not alarmism. If you care about archaeology & heritage in BC, please add your constructive ideas to the conversation thru this BC Survey open to everyone: engage.gov.bc.ca/heritagecons... (6/6) #BCPoli #PublicConsultation #GetInvolved
engage.gov.bc.ca
Home - Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project
What is this project about? The Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project (the Project) aims to update the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) to ensure it is consistent with the UN Declaration on ...
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Countries like Japan show that a modern economy and respect for deep history can coexist. It's not an "either/or" choice. These reforms offer a path to a more efficient, predictable, and respectful future for all of BC. (5/6) #BCPoli #SharedHeritage
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
The current permitting system is painfully slow. Modernizing it with a single, project-based permit will help. We also need better data standards, bringing in Indigenous cultural landscapes, & abolishing fragmented site polygons. Data is a problem in the current system! (4/6) #BCPoli #BCHeritage
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
MYTH: HCA reforms would give First Nations "veto" over private property. FACT: The HCA has applied to private land for over 60 years. The goal now is to create a predictable 'dial-before-you-dig' system to provide better information to everyone before construction starts. (3/6) #BCPoli #BCHeritage
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
MYTH: The HCA reforms were drafted in secret. FACT: I've been in the consultation room over 3 years alongside planners, developers, real estate agents & First Nations. The dialogue has been open & practical. No NDAs were required. This is about finding solutions together. (2/6) #BCPoli #BCHeritage
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
A recent VanSun column sparked fear over BC’s Heritage Conservation Act reforms. Let's look at the facts. The current system is broken for everyone—archaeologists, developers, & First Nations alike. The proposed changes are a pragmatic fix, not a radical NDP plot. (1/6) #BCPoli #BCHeritage #UNDRIP
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UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
@uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social #backtoschool #anthropology
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UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
In September Brian will visit Jōmon period sites in Japan (where he worked for a summer as an archaeologist back in 1992!) with colleagues from Cowichan Tribes to see what we can learn from the amazing best practices in Japanese cultural heritage for the future of sites here in BC.
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UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Our chair, Brian Thom, has been taking Japanese classes and coordinating with colleagues from Ritsumeikan University and Cowichan Tribes for a brand new joint project on Jōmon (Japan) and Coast Salish (BC) heritage site.
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UVicAnthro @uvicanthro.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
@b-thom.bsky.social In the spirit of back to school, we wanted to share that even professors are always finding excitement in learning new things!
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Was great to have meetings at Ye'yumnuts today; such a powerful, welcoming, Indigenous cultural space in Cowichan territories.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Without making too much light of a serious subject (or imposing a Sapir-Whorf kind of view on the nuance of culture-language-law), the word 'permission' does not exist in the Cowichan dictionary. 😄
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Good one Sharon! The biggest available Hul'q'umi'num' dictionary has a word with the same root: thuyum'iilh [√thuy-m-iilh] "stay over at someone’s place". Not sure how the /-θət-/ works in the word, though my sense is that it means something about 'say'). ined.sd79.bc.ca/wp-content/u...
ined.sd79.bc.ca
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
To help the public better understand the Cowichan title case on the Fraser River, a Vancouver Sun reporter asked me what daily life was like at Tl'uqtinus outside of the basics of fishing and berry picking. I painted a scene of vibrant, industrious community vancouversun.com/news/cowicha...
Front page, top fold of Vancouver Sun, 14 Aug 2025
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
CBC Radio's On the Island always strives to ask great questions and engage key issues: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
cbc.ca
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
As UVic professor it's a responsibility to help translate complex issues for the public. I spent yesterday in a whirlwind of interviews trying to distill the Tl'uqtinus Aboriginal title decision. Navigating public discourse can be challenging. Here's a clip from CBC TV News: youtu.be/hXgMvnqMW9M?...
youtu.be
Supreme Court needs to determine relationship between Aboriginal title and private owners: UVic prof
YouTube video by CBC British Columbia
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Today's Aboriginal Title decision for Tl'uqtinus village is a 863pg deep-dive into Coast Salish history, culture, law, ethnography, archaeology, anthropology, cartography. Remembering all the Elders I've heard speak passionately about Tl'uqtinus. They got it back! www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/sc/2...
A map highlighting demarcated Cowichan Title Lands of the Cowichan Nation communities on Vancouver Island and the Musqueam, Tsawwassen, and Squamish communities near Vancouver.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The newly amalgamated BC didn't join Canada until 1871. The fact that Vancouver Island is not a province like PEI is just a fluke of the geo-politics of those days. Of course all of these colonial machinations were oblivious to Indigenous sovereignties. #IndigenousSovereignty #CanadianHistory
Coast Salish totem pole in front of BC Legislature.
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Brian Thom @b-thom.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Locals at the time were concerned about threats and intimidation of US expansionism, imperialism, and the ideologues pushing American manifest destiny. (#whatelseinnew). Together these colonies could better resist. #Geopolitics #CanadianSovereignty #BCHistory
Queen Victoria's bronze statue reigns above the BC Legislature.
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