“Historical ecology of Indigenous fisheries and clam gardens in the Pacific Northwest”

Presented by Dr. Nicole Smith & Dr. Iain McKechnie
Univ. of Victoria

Please note: this lecture will be via Zoom, and won’t be shown at the Fort Worden Chapel.
A Zoom link and registration details are coming soon.

Nicole Smith is an archaeologist, educator, Cultural Heritage Initiatives Coordinator for the Ocean Decade Collaborative Centre for the Northeast Pacific, and steering committee member of the Clam Garden Network. She has been involved in archaeological research on the B.C. coast since 2000, collaborating most closely with First Nations communities, the Hakai Institute, Parks Canada, and university colleagues to broaden the knowledge about clam gardens, archaeological sites over 10,000 years old, and cultural heritage affected by climate change. She loves working with educators to bring archaeology into elementary and high school classrooms and has recently written a book for youth called, “Dig Deep: Connecting Archaeology, Oceans and Us”.

Iain McKechnie is a coastal archaeologist and associate professor of anthropology at the University of Victoria interested in the big history of human foodways. His research focuses on working with Indigenous communities at ancient human settlements on the Pacific Northwest Coast to help show how their ancient harvesting practices broaden perspective on present day marine conservation and management challenges. He directs the Historical Ecology & Coastal Archaeology (HECA) and Zooarchaeology laboratories at UVic and has affiliations with Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre and the Hakai Institute.

Our lecture series, The Future of Oceans, draws on the commitment of professional researchers and educators across all academic spectrums to help define and inspire the health of our oceans.

To see the full lecture series for 2023-2024, visit our Lectures page.

Thanks to the Darrow Family for their ongoing support.