Exploring Hauyat: A Cultural Keystone Place of the Heiltsuk, British Columbia, Canada

There are some cultural landscapes that are inseparably intertwined with the history, identity, and well-being of particular groups today.  These connections grow out of generations of people interacting with these landscapes in a myriad of ways.  Hauyat, on the central coast of British Columbia, is one such place for the Heiltsuk First Nation. At Hauyat, studies of marine and terrestrial ecologies have been inspired and informed by documentary and oral histories of Heiltsuk connections to place. These connections are embedded in place names, songs, anthropological and archaeological records, oral traditions, and memories.  To present these layers in a way that reflects their multi-dimensional connections, and to be accessible to the Heiltsuk and other communities, we have assembled the eco-cultural data in a web site and touch screen to be placed in the community.  In our presentation, we will explore Hauyat together by presenting an overview of this web site.