Ancient Mariculture in the Salish Sea: Documenting the Past for the Future
Presentation Abstract
In the Salish Sea, as elsewhere, the recognition and re-establishment of traditional mariculture practices are linked to issues of food security, health, economic development, governance, and community engagement in heritage. The "Clam Garden Network" is a collaborative team of First Nations knowledge holders, archaeologists, and ecologists who focus on traditional marine resource management systems throughout the Northwest Coast. In several locations in the Salish Sea, we have 1) documented the location of ancient mariculture features (clam gardens and cleared beaches) and associated terrestrial archaeological sites; 2) conducted ecological surveys and experiments that suggest clam abundance, growth and survival are higher in extant clam gardens beaches than in other beaches; 3) collected zooarchaeological samples to assess ecological changes in ancient clam gardens; 4) recorded local knowledge about the social and ecological aspects of traditional mariculture; and 5) dated the construction of ancient mariculture features. Inter-disciplinary and inter-community efforts are an effective way to document traditional resource management systems, as well as situating them within current socio-political and ecological contexts.
Session Title
Session S-10H: Salish Sea Foods: Cultural Practices, Sustainable Markets, and Environmental Stewardship
Conference Track
Social Science Plus
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2-5-2014 1:30 PM
End Date
2-5-2014 3:00 PM
Location
Room 607
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Mariculture--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--History; Indians of North America--Food--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Antiquities
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Ancient Mariculture in the Salish Sea: Documenting the Past for the Future
Room 607
In the Salish Sea, as elsewhere, the recognition and re-establishment of traditional mariculture practices are linked to issues of food security, health, economic development, governance, and community engagement in heritage. The "Clam Garden Network" is a collaborative team of First Nations knowledge holders, archaeologists, and ecologists who focus on traditional marine resource management systems throughout the Northwest Coast. In several locations in the Salish Sea, we have 1) documented the location of ancient mariculture features (clam gardens and cleared beaches) and associated terrestrial archaeological sites; 2) conducted ecological surveys and experiments that suggest clam abundance, growth and survival are higher in extant clam gardens beaches than in other beaches; 3) collected zooarchaeological samples to assess ecological changes in ancient clam gardens; 4) recorded local knowledge about the social and ecological aspects of traditional mariculture; and 5) dated the construction of ancient mariculture features. Inter-disciplinary and inter-community efforts are an effective way to document traditional resource management systems, as well as situating them within current socio-political and ecological contexts.
