Ecological, Archaeological, and Social Perspectives of Northern Coast Salish Marine Resource Management Systems

Summary

Coastal peoples around the world have complex systems of marine management that are situated within and influenced by a myriad of social and ecological actions and contexts. On the Northwest Coast of North America, as elsewhere, understanding the physical and non-tangible aspects of these systems requires using diverse kinds of knowledge and data. In this presentation, we bring together traditional ecological knowledge of Tla’amin First Nation elders with archaeological data to understand the marine resource management systems of the Northern Coast Salish of southern British Columbia. Our archaeological data include fish and shellfish remains from middens, and the spatial distribution and forms of associated intertidal stone and wood features. By analyzing the archaeological evidence though a series of nested spatial scales, and combining these analyses with Tla’amin knowledge of marine ecosystems, we show how ancient systems of management ensured equal access to and sustained use of a suite of marine resources throughout the late Holocene.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Traps, Weirs, Ponds, and Gardens: Exploring the Social and Ecological Significance of Aquatic Subsistence Features

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14296