Archaeological evidence has been used to assess pre-contact occupation and use of land since the first modern Aboriginal title claim in Canada. Archaeology’s ability to alternately challenge, support, and add substantive spatial and temporal dimensions to oral histories and documentary histories makes it a crucial tool in the resolution of Aboriginal rights and title. This article assesses how archaeological evidence has been considered in Aboriginal rights and title litigation in Canada, both over time and in different types of cases. The examination indicates that archaeological data have been judged to be sufficient evidence of pre-contact occupation and use. However, some limitations inherent in archaeological data, especially challenges in archaeology’s capacities to demonstrate continuous occupation and exclude possibilities for co-occupation, mean that it is best used in conjunction with ethnographies, oral histories, and historical documents. So long as courts affirm that it is the sole material evidence of pre-contact occupation, archaeological data will continue to be considered in future litigation.

自加拿大首次提出现代土著所有权要求以来，考古证据就被用于评估接触前的土地占用和使用。考古学能够交替挑战，支持和增加口述历史和文献历史的实质性时空维度，这使其成为解决土著权利和所有权的重要工具。本文评估了在一段时间内以及在不同类型的案件中，如何在加拿大的原住民权利和业权诉讼中考虑考古证据。检查表明，考古数据已被认为是接触前占领和使用的充分证据。但是，考古数据固有的一些局限性 尤其是考古学证明其能够持续占领并排除同居可能性的挑战，这意味着它最好与人种志，口述历史和历史文献结合使用。只要法院确认这是接触前占领的唯一物质证据，在将来的诉讼中将继续考虑考古数据。