Archaeology can inform us about the relationship people had with their environment. More specifically, in regards to other resources such as the relationship otters have had in the past with local communities. Based on the drastic change that took place following colonization, Canadian dependencies and lifestyle completely changed. Part of this impact was because of the fur trade. Since the ecosystem changed, the dependency of the ecosystem changed as well. As was mentioned in the film by Tom Happynook, the Huu-ay-aht hereditary whailing chief of the nuu-chah-nulth nation, communities used to control the sea otter population with a variety of different methods such as hoisting a deceased sea otter along the coast as to restrict other sea otters from inhabiting the area.
Since generations have passed since this ecological shift, the community is currently having difficulty figuring out how to manage the land accordingly in respect to the…show more content… The Japanese for example have been using seaweed in their cuisine for centuries. Based on this it is possible that kelp use has existed in aboriginal use in the past. Unfortunately, any knowledge on this is currently known but could potentially be recovered though archaeological research. Making use of the increased kelp however could potentially be one of the methods used to help control the sea otter population, and increase shellfish accessibility. Recently, a new type of seaweed has been discovered and is becoming popular for its culinary uses and nutritional value. This seaweed which is a new type of red algae has twice the nutritional benefit as kale, is native to the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, and has an identical taste to bacon once fried. This discovery could suggest the value that an increased kelp in the area could be a new resource could for the area that the community just is unaware
