Edible Vancouver Island Summer 2022

Connecting generations and inspiring change through traditional food Indigenous Sea Gardens

WORDS NATALIE GATES PHOTOS MELODY CHARLIE

Many of us know what it feels like to taste something and seemingly be transported to another time —a childhood moment, a joyful day, an occasion of bravery or sadness. For some, certain foods have the power to transport the taster through millennia, connecting them to ancestors who ate the very same thing, from the very same place, for thousands of years.

Sea gardens (sometimes known as clam gardens) are an ancient Indigenous form of aquaculture that were used to cultivate biodi versity and manage rich food systems for communities. Accord ing to carbon dating, they have existed for at least 3,500 years. They’re found along the coast from Alaska to Washington, with many on Vancouver Island. With the onset of colonization and the violent displacement of Indigenous peoples by the Canadian state, Indigenous peoples were removed from much of their land and traditional manage ment practices, which included sea gardens. As a result, many of these gardens weren’t tended to for over 100 years. Today, Vancouver Island researchers, Nations, and Indigenous knowledge holders are asking what it will take to restore local sea gardens back to their former bounty—because there is a lot at stake. “WHEN THE T I DE I S OUT, THE TABLE I S SE T” While each sea garden was incredibly unique, they were all con structed based on a deep understanding of the sea and the sur rounding environment, says Nicole Norris, a knowledge holder for the Hul’q’umi’num’ Nation and an aquaculture specialist. “For us, grand curiosity enables observation,” she says. “We watch the water and pay attention to the wind. We see all the little ani mals that come to the shore.” An important source of food, these sea gardens played an es sential role in communities. Massive feasts filled with different bivalve species, sea grasses and more would often surround them. Today, studies show maintained sea gardens are 150–300% more productive than beaches without gardens. “The Elders say, ‘When the tide is out, the table is set,’” Norris says. “Even today, you’ll hear people from my generation who’ll say, ‘we’re going grocery shopping tonight.’” Restoring and studying sea gardens also helps answer some of the deepest questions humans can ask, such as, “where do we come from?” By restoring the gardens, sharing knowledge and fostering connections to traditional foods, Indigenous peoples can nurture links to countless generations that came before them.

“When I savour a piece of smoked salmon, it’s like a hug and a kiss from the ancestors,” Norris says. “To know where you de scend from, to be able to walk in their footprints is a birthright. Not a privilege that’s been awarded by the federal government. A birthright.” CHALLENGES FAC I NG THE SEA GARDENS But sea gardens are up against some challenging issues, says Beangka Elliott, Partnering and Engagement Coordinator for Parks Canada’s Sea Gardens Restoration Project on Vancouver Island. Elliott grew up in Tsartlip First Nation eating local butter and littleneck clams almost every Saturday morning. She’d be sitting at the breakfast table with her family, and someone would come to the door selling clams they had dug themselves, which they’d enjoy steamed with a little pepper. But it’s been a long time since she’s done that. And it’s been three years since she and her children have been able to eat clams at the beach due to availability. “If we don’t have access to these foods, we lose the stories and history, so many things in addition to a food species,” Elliott says. With the introduction of Western foods and the displacement of Indigenous peoples, the connection to local seafoods has been fractured. In addition, climate change causes more biotoxin blooms, storms and upland flooding, which all impact the species that thrive in sea gardens. “Something I’m realizing through this project is that we’re living in a very different world with climate change,” says Elliott. “There is a serious urgency to do more to conserve these places. And at the rate we’re moving, I don’t know if it’s fast enough.” KEEP I NG THE CONNEC T I ON AL I VE As part of the effort to preserve Indigenous culture, the Sea Gar dens Restoration Project participates in a variety of community engagement and school-based programs. They occasionally run community restoration days, where everyone learns about the sea gardens and enjoys traditional foods, language and cultural activi ties on-site. The project also works with several partner Nations

52 SUMMER 2022 EDIBLE VANCOUVER ISLAND