Forensic palynology in Canada: an overview with emphasis on archaeology and anthropology

Palynological analysis is shown from published and unpublished Canadian examples to be a useful tool in forensic investigation, although the technique is almost unknown and therefore under-utilized by forensic investigators. The techniques of pollen and spore identification and interpretation are continually improving, indicating that the potential for forensic applications is real. Focus in this paper is on an updated interpretation of palynological data that was presented during a trial involving a scientific test of oral history as part of a claim for aboriginal title to a large area of British Columbia (BC) (Delgamuukw versus the Queen). Although the original decision in British Columbia Supreme Court was decided in favor of the government defendants, an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the original decision, and established new principles and rights for aboriginal peoples.