The Historical Ecology of Laxgalts'ap – a Cultural Keystone Place of the Gitga’ata of Northern British Columbia

Summary

For many Indigenous Peoples, their traditional lands are archives of their histories, from the deepest of time to recent memories and actions. These histories are written in the landscapes’ geological features, the plant and animal communities, and associated archaeological and paleoecological records. Some of these landscapes, recently termed "Cultural Keystone Places" (CKPs), are iconic for these groups and have become symbols of the connections between the past and the future, and between people and place. Using an historical ecological approach, we describe our novel methods and initial results for documenting the history of Laxgalts'ap (Old Town) in the territory of the Gitga’ata. We combine data and knowledge from diverse disciplines and communities to tell the deep and recent histories of Laxgalts'ap. This CKP encompasses expansive landscapes and diverse habitats transformed by generations of people interacting with their surrounding environments. Documenting the "softer" footprints of past human-environmental interactions can be elusive and requires using diverse approaches and novel techniques.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Historical Ecology for Applied Archaeology: Climate Change, Resource Management, and Governance

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17208