FIRST NATIONS HERITAGE SITE PROTECTION BY THE ISLANDS TRUST: OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS ...

• Main Author: Campbell, Courtney
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The University of British Columbia 2016
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0107190; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0107190

First nations heritage sites include archaeological sites as well as other places of spiritual importance that do not necessarily have any physical marker. Archaeological sites consist of the physical remains of past human activity and are essential to understanding and appreciating the cultural history of British Columbia (BC Archaeology Branch). In the Gulf Islands shell middens are found along much of the coastline and represent the remaining physical record of villages or harvesting camps. Other archaeological sites include but are not limited to petroglyphs, burial caves, rock cairns, and fishing weirs (Cassidy, Acheson, & Claxton, 1975). Coastal areas that are desirable locations for towns and homes today are often the same places that were used by past cultures for their settlements. In the past, few people, developers, governments, or citizens, were concerned about damaging or destroying these sites, and many are lost forever. This damage to archaeological sites continues today; one need only ...