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🌰 Hazelnuts, History, and the Skeena 🌲 New research is demonstrating that Gitxsan, Tsimshian, and Nisga'a peoples cultivated the beaked hazelnut for at least 7,000 years, reshaping ecosystems and challenging the colonial myth that Indigenous communities in northwestern BC were solely hunter-gatherers. As Chelsey Geralda Armstrong, a co-author of the study, explains, "our research cuts through assumptions of BC and the Northwest Coast being wild and completely untouched." The recently published study indicates the Skeena River had a long history as a "civilization epicentre," aligning with oral histories of Temlaxam, an ancient city near the confluence of the Skeena and Bulkley rivers. The findings not only challenge outdated narratives of pre-colonial life and underscore Indigenous stewardship in shaping ecosystems, but may also bolster land claims by proving a longstanding, intentional connection to these lands. Jacob Beaton, executive director of the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Association noted these findings mean “intentional agricultural-type food production is part of our heritage for longer than ancient Egypt." #IndigenousKnowledge #SkeenaHistory #FoodSovereignty #NorthernBC #Agriculture #NorthwesternCoast