"One day you're gonna know you won't starve here": A social and cultural exploration of Coast Salish restoration of clam gardens

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2019Since time immemorial, First Nations shaped the environment around them to create and maintain highly productive societies. Today with the growing threats of a changing climate and continued nearshore development, important traditional resources may not be available for future generations. Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems are more important than ever in decision making and restoration practices as these threats increase in the Salish Sea. One example of a structure built and managed utilizing TEK is the ancient mariculture known as clam gardens: a purposely constructed rock-walled terrace that increases the habitat and productivity of traditional foods. This research aims to utilize the case study of a clam garden eco-cultural restoration in the southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada to better understand the relationship between humans and ecosystems and how focusing on those relationships offer a model for success in restoration and management. For this master’s thesis research qualitative data was obtained utilizing participant observations during restoration events and open-ended interviews with willing members of W̱SÃ NEĆ First Nations traditional knowledge working group. We found that all people involved in this project bring unique experiences, backgrounds, and motivations. We also found that this work has qualities and attributes that expand the current definition of resource active management. We identified ten qualities of the clam garden restoration work: Connections, Sharing, Work, Intergenerational, Caring for the Land, Knowledge, Alive, Engrossed, Commitment, and Food. By conducting this research utilizing Indigenous Research Principles we aim to inspire future research to obtain better data, establish better long-lasting relationships with Tribal and First Nations communities, and empower the next generation of Indigenous Scholars to conduct research for their communities

Quantifying Food Species Produced by Ancient Clam Garden Technologies of the Salish Sea

Adaptation to food systems impacted by climate change is one of the greatest challenge facing the world today. Indigenous peoples of North America have built a body of knowledge that is based on experience and awareness of the natural world around them. Since time immemorial, First Nations have shaped the environment to create and maintain highly productive food systems. One example of this knowledge is the ancient mariculture known as clam gardens, a purposely constructed rock-walled terrace that increases the habitat and productivity of traditional foods. This study aims to quantify the food species found within the rock wall structure of a clam garden compared to a non-walled beach to provide a baseline representation of the food species associated with a modified beach. This was done using low tide observational surveys to measure the abundance of edible invertebrates found within the intertidal portion of a clam garden rock wall and control site. Data analysis shows higher abundance of individual invertebrates found at the clam garden rock wall compared to the control non modified beach. The rock wall site show a significant difference in diversity of food species found compared to the control non-walled site. This research supports a growing understanding that Indigenous communities have been active managers of ecosystems and food systems for thousands of years, and highlights the positive relationship that can exist between increased ecosystem productivity and abundance of traditional foods

Clam Terrace Rock Walls: The Ecology and Social Significance of Monumental Places

When we think of the monumental works of the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast, we typically think of long houses, canoes, and totem poles. But the First Peoples are also monumental movers of stone in the making of resource sites like clam terraces and root gardens. Clam terraces are special places that enhance beaches for clam production, and are used to harvest not only clams but an entire suite of algae and animals. While many studies have focused on the ability of clam gardens to enhance clam productivity, few have examined the role of the rock wall itself. These stories describe the monumental work of Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast to create these rock wall structures, indelibly shaping land and seascapes with their creation and inscribing the physical world with visible records of familial connections to places, while significantly managing food resources. In other words, the moving of stone at this monumental scale entangles the production of key foods with the making histories and places. These stories highlight the importance of these features in shaping our seascapes as well as our ecosystems. By creating new habitat, rock walls change intertidal ecological communities and alter the availability of non-clam food species, bringing foods like crab, urchin, seaweeds, and octopus into the garden and onto the plate