Rooted in Place: Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship, and Living History

Salt Spring’s foodways have sustained people for thousands of years—yet today, we import most of what we eat.

On Tuesday, January 20, from 6pm-7:30pm join historian, archaeologist, and author Chris Arnett for a compelling journey into the deep history of Indigenous food systems on Salt Spring Island and the Gulf Islands.

In this engaging course, Arnett explores how Indigenous peoples thrived in this ecosystem for millennia through ingenious technologies, careful observation, and strong stewardship practices. You’ll learn about clam gardens, camas cultivation, and the laws, teachings, and stories that supported what was—and could again be—a truly sustainable food system.

The course also examines traditional land management practices such as controlled burning to support deer populations and camas growth, and how settlers later appropriated these cleared landscapes for pasture, often without understanding the long-standing seasonal land use patterns that families relied on. Drawing on physical evidence—including shell middens, burial sites, and rock art—alongside collaboration with local Nations’ knowledge keepers and elders, Arnett brings familiar places to life with layered stories of connection, conflict, and continuity across generations.

Chris Arnett holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from UBC and is widely respected for his research into the Indigenous and colonial histories of the Gulf Islands. His work centres Coast Salish oral traditions (snuwuyulh) and land use, weaving together archaeology and traditional knowledge to illuminate the region’s ancient past and early encounters with Europeans. He is the author of The Terror of the Coast and Two Houses Half-Buried in Sand.

This course — the first in a two part series that continues January 27  is hosted by the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust as part of the Root to Bloom Centre. Attend in person at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga or join virtually via Zoom.

👉 Register here:

https://ssifarmlandtrust.regfox.com/salt-spring-foodways-history