ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Archaeol.
Sec. Landscape and Geological Processes
This article is part of the Research TopicIndigenous Maritime ArchaeologyView all 5 articles
núyems cek áinuk - Our Fish Weir Story A Case Study in Cultural Resource Management in British Columbia, Canada
Provisionally accepted
Suzy Carruthers1*
Amanda Marshall1Candice Wilson2Kelly Steele1Kathleen Sullivan3Gyllian Porteous3Sarah Holland4Alyssa Leier5- 1Kleanza Consulting Ltd., Terrace, Canada
- 2Haisla Nation, Kitamaat, Canada
- 3Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, Canada
- 4Indigenous Internship Program, MOA, Vancouver, Canada
- 5The Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre, Prince George, Canada
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The Minette Bay Archaeological Project revealed an archaeological landscape that is thousands of years old. This landscape is part of the unceded traditional territory of the Haisla Nation. The complex of archaeological sites and features in Minette Bay includes the subsistence and habitation sites of Haisla ancestors, with evidence of intensive forest and intertidal resource utilization and resource stewardship. Among the findings were twenty intertidal waterlogged wooden fish weirs, with hundreds of sharpened wood weir stakes. Recognizing the significance of the weirs, the Haisla Nation and Kleanza Consulting partnered with Might for Right Productions to produce a 14-minute documentary film, núyems cekʷáinukʷ- Haisla’s Fish Weir Story. Filming the project is a unique and intentional choice to engage the Haisla community, honour Indigenous oral traditions and prioritize Haisla’s autonomy in managing and presenting their heritage. The Minette Bay Conservation Plan was developed in partnership with the Haisla Nation, the Canadian Conservation Institute, Kleanza Consulting, Might for Right Productions, the Indigenous Internship Program and the Exploration Place. The archaeological investigation, conservation effort and documenting film, together, showcase a collaborative approach to reconciliation in Cultural Resource Management, highlighting the value of inclusive partnerships between Indigenous communities, industry, heritage professionals, academia, and government
Keywords: Archaeology, autonomy, conservation, Indigenous, Stewardship
Received: 27 Oct 2025; Accepted: 02 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Carruthers, Marshall, Wilson, Steele, Sullivan, Porteous, Holland and Leier. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Suzy Carruthers
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