Clam garden facts for kids

A clam garden is a clever way Indigenous peoples, especially the Coast Salish peoples, managed their food sources. They are like special underwater farms for clams! First Nations peoples built these gardens by changing parts of the beach. This created a perfect home for clams to grow.

Clam gardens provided lots of food for both people and animals. They also helped make sure there was always enough food, especially when other foods were hard to find. Over 2,000 clam gardens have been found along the west coast of North America. You can find them in places like Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and California. Many old clam gardens are being cared for again today.

How Clam Gardens Are Built

Clam gardens are made up of two main parts: a rock wall and special sand. These parts work together to create a great place for clams to live.

The Rock Wall

First Nations peoples chose a good spot on the beach. Then, they built a low wall using large rocks or boulders. Strong people rolled these big rocks down to the lowest part of the beach. This created the rock wall.

When the tide comes in, it brings sand and dirt over the rock wall. This material then gets trapped inside the garden. The wall is low enough for water to cover the garden at high tide. But it's also tall enough to expose the beach at low tide, making it easy to harvest clams.

These rock walls needed constant care. People regularly moved rocks from inside the garden onto the wall. This helped keep the wall strong against the weather and tides. This shows that clam gardens were used and maintained for a very long time.

The Special Sand

The sand and dirt trapped by the rock wall create a flat beach inside the garden. This flat area is perfect for clams to grow. The sand here has just the right texture for clams. It doesn't have too much fine clay or silt, which the tides wash away.

When people harvested clams, they also helped the sand. Digging for clams loosened the sand, letting air get in. This made it easier for clams to move around. It also made it simpler to dig them out. Many clam gardens also have lots of gravel and broken shells. These bits also help to aerate the sand.

Animals in Clam Gardens

Clam gardens are great homes for many different animals. The changed beach attracts lots of clams. Some common types found are butter clams, littleneck clams, cockles, and horse clams.

But clams aren't the only creatures that live there! You can also find barnacles, snails, crabs, eels, mussels, and sea cucumbers. Other animals like ghost shrimp and worms also live buried in the loose sand.

How Clam Gardens Were Used

A Source of Food

Clam gardens were a very important food source for many Coast Salish peoples. They provided a steady supply of clams that were easy to get. This helped ensure that communities always had enough to eat.

Women and children often did most of the clam harvesting at low tide. But everyone in the community could help. After harvesting, families could eat the clams right away. They could also smoke them to save for the winter. These stored clams were vital when other foods were scarce. Some nations, like the Kwakwaka’wakw, harvested clams from October to early March. This helped them avoid times when harmful "red tide" algae might be present.

Clam gardens were not just for humans. They also provided a protein-rich food source for animals. Bears, raccoons, mink, river otters, sea ducks, and geese all fed in clam gardens.

Sharing Knowledge

Working in clam gardens was also a way to pass down knowledge. Elders taught younger generations about clam gardens. They shared traditional ways of harvesting and caring for the beach.

Clam gardens were like an outdoor classroom. Here, people learned about their culture, language, and traditional practices. This helped keep important knowledge alive for future generations.

Who Owned the Gardens?

Each First Nation had its own rules about managing land and resources. Often, access to clam gardens was based on families. Families showed ownership by regularly taking care of the beach. They also maintained the rock wall. These gardens were then passed down through the family.

Historically, if a clam garden wasn't being actively managed, anyone in the community could harvest from it. Families could also claim a new garden. They did this by building their own clam garden on an undeveloped beach in their traditional territory.

How Old Are Clam Gardens?

We don't know exactly when clam gardening first started. It's hard for scientists to figure out the exact age. This is because the rock walls are often underwater. Also, sea levels have changed over time.

Archaeologists use special methods to study the age of clam gardens. They use techniques like optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating. These methods help them understand how old the rocks and shells are. Results show that some clam gardens are 1,000 to 1,700 years old. Other studies suggest some are even older, around 3,000 years old! This shows that the walls were built up over many years by different communities.

Many First Nations peoples have a different view of how old clam gardens are. For example, Clan Chief Adam Dick, Kwaxsistalla, of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation, says clam gardens have been around "since the beginning of time." Tom Sewid, a Native Watchman of the Mamalilikulla-Qwe'Qwa'Sot'Em nation, says his ancestors have cared for clam gardens for "thousands of years." He sees clam gardens as proof of his nation's long history on their traditional lands.

Bringing Clam Gardens Back

Today, people are working to restore clam gardens. For example, in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, Parks Canada is working with the Hul'q'umi'num and Saanich nations. They are restoring two clam gardens there. This helps bring back these important traditional food sources and cultural sites.