Steph Halmhofer
@cultarchaeo.bsky.social
🇨🇦 (BC)Archaeologist & PhD student: Brother XII & the Aquarian Foundation | archaeology of conspirituality | landscape archaeology | pseudoarchaeology | far-right pseudo/archaeology (she/her)
https://bonesstonesandbooks.com/publication
https://bonesstonesandbooks.com/publication
Pinned
My author copy of the home of my recent chapter on far-right uses of pseudoarchaeology arrived today 🙌 Timely, given that a certain Netflix series with a season premiere date right around the corner makes an unfortunate appearance in here 👀
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Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
Very cool!
December 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Very cool!
Feeling myself leveling up after finding a very small document that, in about a page and a half, answered some lingering questions I had about one of Brother XII's properties and enabled me to make a tidy little map of that property's spatial organization 🙌 🏺
kermit the frog is in a video game and has a special beam ability
ALT: kermit the frog is in a video game and has a special beam ability
media.tenor.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Feeling myself leveling up after finding a very small document that, in about a page and a half, answered some lingering questions I had about one of Brother XII's properties and enabled me to make a tidy little map of that property's spatial organization 🙌 🏺
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
The #pseudoarchaeological appropriation of past and #Indigenous cultural achievements to attribute these to ancient "supercivilizations" or even #aliens is reviving 19th century narratives deeply rooted in #colonialsim.
Whole @smartcookies.bsky.social podcast episode here: youtu.be/iUp44_-lbs4
Whole @smartcookies.bsky.social podcast episode here: youtu.be/iUp44_-lbs4
December 5, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The #pseudoarchaeological appropriation of past and #Indigenous cultural achievements to attribute these to ancient "supercivilizations" or even #aliens is reviving 19th century narratives deeply rooted in #colonialsim.
Whole @smartcookies.bsky.social podcast episode here: youtu.be/iUp44_-lbs4
Whole @smartcookies.bsky.social podcast episode here: youtu.be/iUp44_-lbs4
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
As #ICE ramps up its harassment of U.S. communities while implementing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, Canadian armoured vehicle manufacturer Roshel has also been stepping up its lobbying efforts to get Canadian federal government contracts.
@rachelgilmore.bsky.social writes.
@rachelgilmore.bsky.social writes.
A Canadian Company Is Supplying Armoured Cars to ICE | The Tyee
The Canadian government should consider companies’ complicity in US human rights violations when sourcing contracts.
thetyee.ca
December 4, 2025 at 3:32 PM
As #ICE ramps up its harassment of U.S. communities while implementing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, Canadian armoured vehicle manufacturer Roshel has also been stepping up its lobbying efforts to get Canadian federal government contracts.
@rachelgilmore.bsky.social writes.
@rachelgilmore.bsky.social writes.
BC right wing political updates: The centre-right Conservatives are imploding (seen below). Meanwhile just yesterday the far right OneBC party leader Dallas Brodie (who was kicked out of the conservatives by Rustad), attended an anti-Indigenous, Residential School denialist rally
The BC Conservative leader has been declared "professionally incapacitated" by his caucus
December 3, 2025 at 9:57 PM
BC right wing political updates: The centre-right Conservatives are imploding (seen below). Meanwhile just yesterday the far right OneBC party leader Dallas Brodie (who was kicked out of the conservatives by Rustad), attended an anti-Indigenous, Residential School denialist rally
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
The BC Conservative Party just announced they have removed John Rustad as their party leader.
Comes hours after Rustad said he was staying on despite 20 MLAs calling for his removal, arguing there was no mechanism for the party to turf him as leader after winning his leadership review.
Comes hours after Rustad said he was staying on despite 20 MLAs calling for his removal, arguing there was no mechanism for the party to turf him as leader after winning his leadership review.
December 3, 2025 at 8:55 PM
The BC Conservative Party just announced they have removed John Rustad as their party leader.
Comes hours after Rustad said he was staying on despite 20 MLAs calling for his removal, arguing there was no mechanism for the party to turf him as leader after winning his leadership review.
Comes hours after Rustad said he was staying on despite 20 MLAs calling for his removal, arguing there was no mechanism for the party to turf him as leader after winning his leadership review.
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
The BC Conservative leader has been declared "professionally incapacitated" by his caucus
December 3, 2025 at 8:59 PM
The BC Conservative leader has been declared "professionally incapacitated" by his caucus
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
CFP: 'Difficult Collections' Special issue of 'Paper Trails' @uclpress.bsky.social. Focus on challenges of working with troubling heritage collections (colonialism, eugenics, representation, etc). Proposals: 31/01/26; Submissions: 31/05/26. Details: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/special-coll... #GLAM ##HistorySky
Call for Papers: Difficult Collections | UCL UCL Special Collections
UCL Homepage
blogs.ucl.ac.uk
December 2, 2025 at 9:54 AM
CFP: 'Difficult Collections' Special issue of 'Paper Trails' @uclpress.bsky.social. Focus on challenges of working with troubling heritage collections (colonialism, eugenics, representation, etc). Proposals: 31/01/26; Submissions: 31/05/26. Details: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/special-coll... #GLAM ##HistorySky
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
Canadian publisher Kids Can Press "strongly condemns any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image" following Pete Hegseth's post:
December 2, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Canadian publisher Kids Can Press "strongly condemns any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image" following Pete Hegseth's post:
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
Friends, the book is out!! If you are interesed in #deathstudies from an interdisciplinary perspective, please consider checking it out:
www.berghahnbooks.com/title/Spinel...
ALSO we have a 50% off discount code! Use SPIN2909 for 50% off the print version of the book, til Jan 31st! Yay! 🏺
www.berghahnbooks.com/title/Spinel...
ALSO we have a 50% off discount code! Use SPIN2909 for 50% off the print version of the book, til Jan 31st! Yay! 🏺
December 1, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Friends, the book is out!! If you are interesed in #deathstudies from an interdisciplinary perspective, please consider checking it out:
www.berghahnbooks.com/title/Spinel...
ALSO we have a 50% off discount code! Use SPIN2909 for 50% off the print version of the book, til Jan 31st! Yay! 🏺
www.berghahnbooks.com/title/Spinel...
ALSO we have a 50% off discount code! Use SPIN2909 for 50% off the print version of the book, til Jan 31st! Yay! 🏺
While we were waiting for the orcas to come by (they did eventually), these two humpbacks gave us quite the surprise!
December 1, 2025 at 12:16 AM
While we were waiting for the orcas to come by (they did eventually), these two humpbacks gave us quite the surprise!
I was at a holiday market today on a very small island and someone came to my table to meet me because they heard me on an episode of the QAA podcast (their favourite podcast) and they said it was like "meeting a celebrity" 😂. So maybe I should use that to market my candles 🤔
November 30, 2025 at 1:13 AM
I was at a holiday market today on a very small island and someone came to my table to meet me because they heard me on an episode of the QAA podcast (their favourite podcast) and they said it was like "meeting a celebrity" 😂. So maybe I should use that to market my candles 🤔
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
So happy that "On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives" is now out in print! With 19 contributors, the book addresses definitions of CN; historical development; intersections with racism, sexism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia; and practical ways to address the problem.
November 28, 2025 at 11:38 PM
So happy that "On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives" is now out in print! With 19 contributors, the book addresses definitions of CN; historical development; intersections with racism, sexism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia; and practical ways to address the problem.
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
New landmark research out today: We've just launched Trowel and Error, the most in-depth look in 25 years at how audiences want to engage with archaeology. The findings are clear: people want human, accessible, story-led archaeology.
Read the report here 👉 www.archaeologyuk.org/our-work/tro...
Read the report here 👉 www.archaeologyuk.org/our-work/tro...
November 21, 2025 at 9:00 AM
New landmark research out today: We've just launched Trowel and Error, the most in-depth look in 25 years at how audiences want to engage with archaeology. The findings are clear: people want human, accessible, story-led archaeology.
Read the report here 👉 www.archaeologyuk.org/our-work/tro...
Read the report here 👉 www.archaeologyuk.org/our-work/tro...
🏺 It turns out that Ben Lamm, the founder of Colossal Biosciences, is an ancient aliens pseudoarch guy. Inspired by a YouTuber, he has reached out to the Peruvian gov't to collect DNA samples from the "mummified tridactyl alien remains." Reminder that these remains are not actually aliens, but
November 28, 2025 at 4:33 PM
🏺 It turns out that Ben Lamm, the founder of Colossal Biosciences, is an ancient aliens pseudoarch guy. Inspired by a YouTuber, he has reached out to the Peruvian gov't to collect DNA samples from the "mummified tridactyl alien remains." Reminder that these remains are not actually aliens, but
Thanks for the suggestions! The basic context is that at least one of my (historic) sites shell midden was used as an aggregate (maybe a spiritual element too 👀) in concrete, and I was just curious if there would be a way for me to determine which of the middens on the island it came from. Thanks!
🏺 Archaeology question:
Say I've found some shell midden that has been removed from its original context and placed into a secondary context. But I know that its org. location is likely one of the middens nearby. Is there a way for me to test to determine its org. location, like an XRF for shell?
Say I've found some shell midden that has been removed from its original context and placed into a secondary context. But I know that its org. location is likely one of the middens nearby. Is there a way for me to test to determine its org. location, like an XRF for shell?
November 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Thanks for the suggestions! The basic context is that at least one of my (historic) sites shell midden was used as an aggregate (maybe a spiritual element too 👀) in concrete, and I was just curious if there would be a way for me to determine which of the middens on the island it came from. Thanks!
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
🏺 Archaeology question:
Say I've found some shell midden that has been removed from its original context and placed into a secondary context. But I know that its org. location is likely one of the middens nearby. Is there a way for me to test to determine its org. location, like an XRF for shell?
Say I've found some shell midden that has been removed from its original context and placed into a secondary context. But I know that its org. location is likely one of the middens nearby. Is there a way for me to test to determine its org. location, like an XRF for shell?
November 26, 2025 at 6:23 PM
🏺 Archaeology question:
Say I've found some shell midden that has been removed from its original context and placed into a secondary context. But I know that its org. location is likely one of the middens nearby. Is there a way for me to test to determine its org. location, like an XRF for shell?
Say I've found some shell midden that has been removed from its original context and placed into a secondary context. But I know that its org. location is likely one of the middens nearby. Is there a way for me to test to determine its org. location, like an XRF for shell?
This is an informative paper that takes a much needed deep look at Residential School denialism. Researchers found that denialist beliefs "are more common among men, conservatives, those with anti-Indigenous attitudes, and white Canadians who strongly identify with their racial in-group."
The Prevalence and Correlates of Residential School Denialism in Canada | Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique | Cambridge Core
The Prevalence and Correlates of Residential School Denialism in Canada
www.cambridge.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:21 AM
This is an informative paper that takes a much needed deep look at Residential School denialism. Researchers found that denialist beliefs "are more common among men, conservatives, those with anti-Indigenous attitudes, and white Canadians who strongly identify with their racial in-group."
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
Nice toolkit supported by one of our small grants for how science communicators can make their messages memorable through understanding how people remember things. By @hanachronism.bsky.social
livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194747/
livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194747/
Storytelling for Science Communication Toolkit: Cognitive Biases, Memory & Objectives
Humans have used stories to understand the world around us for millennia, from folktales to news stories, and from movies to the gossip we collect in the local pub. Science communicators have long bee...
livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk
November 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Nice toolkit supported by one of our small grants for how science communicators can make their messages memorable through understanding how people remember things. By @hanachronism.bsky.social
livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194747/
livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194747/
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
🏺 Again and again - our discipline has been crucial to genocide. Pretending otherwise is complicity.
Israel, which has obliterated most of Palestine’s archeological and heritage sites, including ancient churches, mosques, and temples, has suddenly discovered an urge to protect one from Palestinian ‘neglect’. It just so happens to be in the West Bank.
www.timesofisrael.com/israel-begin...
www.timesofisrael.com/israel-begin...
Israel begins seizing 1,800 dunams of West Bank land to develop archaeological site
Civil Administration says development legal, taking place amid 'neglect' of site by Palestinians; Peace Now: 'Government's lust for dispossession and annexation is insatiable'
www.timesofisrael.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
🏺 Again and again - our discipline has been crucial to genocide. Pretending otherwise is complicity.
This is a very good read about When Prophecy Fails, the new paper that attempts to re-evaluate WPF, and also the challenges that come with archival research.
NEW: When Propecy Fails is one of the most famous social psychology books of all time, a look at a small group of UFO believers when the “spacemen” failed to land. I wrote about a new study from an independent researcher who says the book is not what it seems. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
It’s one of the most influential social psychology studies ever. Was it all a lie?
A classic book on UFO believers and their "cognitive dissonance" after aliens failed to land is called into question.
www.motherjones.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:21 PM
This is a very good read about When Prophecy Fails, the new paper that attempts to re-evaluate WPF, and also the challenges that come with archival research.
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
NEW: When Propecy Fails is one of the most famous social psychology books of all time, a look at a small group of UFO believers when the “spacemen” failed to land. I wrote about a new study from an independent researcher who says the book is not what it seems. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
It’s one of the most influential social psychology studies ever. Was it all a lie?
A classic book on UFO believers and their "cognitive dissonance" after aliens failed to land is called into question.
www.motherjones.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:36 PM
NEW: When Propecy Fails is one of the most famous social psychology books of all time, a look at a small group of UFO believers when the “spacemen” failed to land. I wrote about a new study from an independent researcher who says the book is not what it seems. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Steph Halmhofer
Oh, this was quite the inspirational Sunday reading. Brilliant! And highly recommended!
Some Sunday ready over on the HGN blog! Today’s new post from @xurvermilion.bsky.social explores the potential of videogames as a way of engaging students with historical research, and key skills in critical analysis:
www.historicalgames.net/students-his...
www.historicalgames.net/students-his...
Why should students care about historymaking in videogames? | Historical Games Network
We might spend time exploring zora monoliths in Breath of the Wild’s (2017) Hyrule and the tales they speak around kings of old, or snooping through an item’s description (such as a holy great sword, ...
www.historicalgames.net
November 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Oh, this was quite the inspirational Sunday reading. Brilliant! And highly recommended!
Speaking of candles, my nerd candles, aka the candle line I named after Brother XII to give me an excuse to talk about archaeology and my research with folks at markets, should now be available in the Nanaimo Museum gift shop 👀 Check them out if you're on island, and support the museum!
November 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Speaking of candles, my nerd candles, aka the candle line I named after Brother XII to give me an excuse to talk about archaeology and my research with folks at markets, should now be available in the Nanaimo Museum gift shop 👀 Check them out if you're on island, and support the museum!