Usually, we encourage visitors to witness the joint Tseshaht-UVic-Parks Canada excavation on Keith Island but given COVID protocols, we will have more selective procedures on site.
We are only able to host site tours during the following times: between 1:30-2:30 between July 9-20. Please note: We will have a possible ‘day off’ during that time period so please be advised and check with the Tseshaht BeachKeepers.
The first half of the project our fieldwork will focus on Kakmakimilh (Keith Island) in the centre of the Broken Group Islands – this is one of the many ancestral sites in Tseshaht homelands. This location is also where Tseshaht Beach Keepers have created a stewardship program that engages visitors to experience the Broken Group Islands and Pacific Rim NPR.
The archaeological team is privileged to have a chance to conduct excavations at this important cultural site which has a currently document archaeological history of at least 5,000 years. This village was occupied full time up until the 1940s and was a location where several older Tseshaht community members grew up and regularly visited before the surrounding archipelago became a national park reserve in the 1970s.
For the latter half of the project at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre in Huu-ay-aht territory, we will be working in Huu-ay-aht territory and visiting some of their ancestral places including the Kiixʔin Village and Fortress National Historic Site of Canada.
To learn a bit more about Huu-ay-aht language and culture, please visit their very detailed and helpful website.