Clam Gardens: Aboriginal Mariculture on Canada's West Coast

by Judith Williams

For many years, archaeologists were unaware of the ancient clam terraces at Waiatt Bay, on Quadra Island. Author Judith Williams knew no differently until she was advised of their existence by a Klahoose elder named Elizabeth Harry (Keekus). By liaising with other observers of clam gardens in the Broughton Archipelago and conducting her own survey of Waiatt Bay and Gorge Harbour on Cortes Island, Williams has amassed evidence that the rock structures seen only at the lowest tides were used by native peoples for the purpose of cultivating butter clams.
Her research does much to challenge the notion of pre-contact West Coast indigenous peoples and hunters-gatherers alone. The clam gardens whose existence she reveals here might also be unique in the world.
"Clam Gardens: Aboriginal Mariculture on Canada's West Coast" is Number 15 in the Transmontanus series of books edited by Terry Glavin.

Genres: History, Anthropology, Nonfiction, Indigenous

127 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2006

Reviews

[Ron Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well, and entertainingly, written book with good illustrations and anecdotes about the obstinacy of archaeologists. A clam garden basically consists of a semicircular boulder wall laboriously constructed near the low tide line. “The removal of the rocks made more room for the clams, and the wall of stones prevented the sandy beach from eroding.” Clams are two to four times as plentiful inside a clam garden as in adjoining areas. Some gardens included added conveniences such as canoe slides. It’s believed that some of these sites are at least 3,500 years old (https://is.gd/xFgvOW). They figured this out by carbon dating things like barnacle scars and bits of wood located underneath the lowest stones in the wall. Also, some are associated with middens that contain no historical material. It’s now believed – judging by their number, long use, and the labor involved in their construction – “that individual and clustered clam gardens were one of the foundation blocks of Native economy for specific coastal peoples.” This sort of mariculture is important both in terms of whether the term 'hunter-gatherer' is appropriate for Coastal peoples and as an indication that explorers and settlers were not “entering unowned virgin wilderness” when they arrived here.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent descriptive, includes a few origin stories.