Gabriolan.ca

You know that BC First Nations people used cedar for all sort of things: canoes, housing, masks, clothing, blankets, baskets, totem poles, and probably lots of other purposes as well. The Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo Coast Salish) on Gabriola were no exception. Sometimes they took an entire cedar tree, but other times they just took part of a cedar tree. The evidence of their cedar-harvesting remains in our forests, and you can see it on Gabriola once you know what to look for.

Have you ever come across a cedar tree that’s mostly normal, except that the bark is missing on one section of the tree? Or maybe it looks like there’s a bark-free gouge running way up the tree. You could be looking at a tree that the Snuneymuxw used: they harvested bark from that tree, and now you’re seeing the scar.

These trees are called culturally modified trees, and they’re used by archaeologists to show that an area was inhabited by First Nations people during a certain time frame. The tree can be dated (tree rings, remember?) so it’s possible to tell when the bark was taken, and then see the pattern of growth after that. (This article says that culturally modified trees on the BC coast have been dated back to the year 1137 AD.)

Since I learned about this topic, I have a hard time getting anywhere on this island. I want to walk around every tall cedar I see to check its bark. This means I make tons of side-trips and I’m late for lunch, but I’ve found dozens and dozens of these culturally modified trees. They’re everywhere!

Here are some fascinating diagrams showing what happens to culturally modified trees over time. If you’re interested in culturally modified cedars, read this .pdf file from the David Suzuki Foundation: Sacred Cedar: The Cultural and Archaeological Significance of Culturally Modified Trees. It’s amazing.

Related

• Culturally modified trees of British Columbia: version 2.0 – gov.bc.ca
• A Reconnaisance of Satchie Creek’s Hesquiaht Culturally Modified Trees (pdf) – hooksumschool.com

(Thanks to the Gabriola Museum for telling me about culturally modified trees.)

Tags: cedar, culturally modified trees, Nanaimo Coast Salish, Snuneymuxw