Tidal Belongings: First Nations–Driven Archaeology to Preserve a Large Wooden Fish Trap Panel Recovered from the Comox Harbour Intertidal Fish Trap Complex in British Columbia

Abstract

This article describes the recent identification, documentation, and preservation of a large wooden lattice-work panel recovered from a wet-site trap complex located in Comox Harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This project was the result of Indigenous community members proactively taking control of their heritage for protection and conservation. Based on the research of the contributors, this panel appears to be the largest and most intact example of a fish trap panel from an archaeological context on the Northwest Coast. This paper provides data and interpretations to better understand Indigenous fisheries and the technology of the extensive systems of wooden fish traps that once spanned most of Comox Harbour.