Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Dr. Martin Magne recently retired from the position of Director of the Archaeology and History Branch for Parks Canada, where he guided the archaeology and history teams across the country. Martin completed his B.Sc. at the University of Toronto, his M.A. at the University of Manitoba, and his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia. His doctoral research focused on the prehistory of BC’s Interior Plateau and he has undertaken archaeological research throughout the province. A highlight of his fieldwork has been 10 seasons in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve in Haida Gwaii as part of a team researching the earliest coastal human occupations 14,000 to 9,000 years ago. Since the early days of his career Dr. Magne has worked closely with many Indigenous communities, mostly in western Canada. He has academic, government, and private consulting experience in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia and is presently Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. He had direct involvement in the Franklin Expedition Project, overseeing Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team in their searches leading to the discoveries of the long-lost ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. His other main research interests are in Indigenous rock art, stone tool technology, and the migrations of the Dene people from northern Canada to the American southwest and Pacific northwest some 1200 years ago. Dr. Magne has received the Public Service Award of Excellence, as well as the Parks Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Resource Management and Commemorative Integrity.