Introduction: What are clam gardens?

First Nations on the Pacific Coast have managed coastal environments for millennia. Indigenous knowledge, gathered and refined since time out of mind, continues to shape coastlines throughout what is now known as British Columbia (BC). Clam gardens are an ancient and sophisticated form of Indigenous aquaculture that increase the productivity of many marine species. In Kwakʼwala they’re called loxiwe, meaning “to roll”, referring to the way that rocks are rolled down the beach to build a wall. By modifying the shoreline, Indigenous peoples significantly increase the amount of suitable habitat for favored clam species, such as butter clam and littleneck clam. In this way, loxiwe provide a sustainable and predictable food source for Indigenous communities.

Image credit: HÚY̓AT 2016

Loxiwe are also living sites of cultural production, where knowledge is co-created in community and transferred across generations. They are places where communities can gather to learn about themselves and gather culturally appropriate foods. The integrity of living cultural features, like loxiwe, depends on ongoing relationships to the communities that built them. Protecting these sites, and the knowledge and food they produce, means restoring First Nations relationships to them.

In 2024-25, MaPP supported Nanwakolas Council and the Laichwiltach First Nations to initiate restoration of an ancient loxiwe on Northern Quadra Island. The project brought together over 60 people to learn about contemporary loxiwe management, and apply those teachings to an important, ancient site.  You can learn more about the project by watching the video above—Gilakas’la to everyone involved!

MaPP and Nanwakolas Council will look to support future loxiwe restoration projects across the coast. In the spring of 2025, Mamalilikulla began their own restoration project at an ancient village site in the Broughton archipelago. The MaPP partners look to pilot other loxiwe restoration projects over the coming years, contributing to the turning tide of Indigenous-lead restoration activities!

Contributions to BC’s Heritage Conservation Act and Transformation Project

As heritage sites that pre-date contact with Europeans, loxiwe in BC are governed under the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA). While more than 90% of heritage sites in BC are First Nations in origin, the HCA does not currently protect Indigenous knowledge, or its use within heritage management processes. BC is in the process of modernizing the HCA, aligning it with Provincial commitments to reconciliation with First Nations. Action 4.35 of the Declaration Act Action Plan commits the province to “Work with First Nations to reform the Heritage Conservation Act to align with the UN Declaration, including shared decision-making and the protection of First Nations cultural, spiritual, and heritage sites and objects.”

In 2025, Nanwakolas will develop a report and recommendations to inform the HCA Transformation Project. The integrity of loxiwe, and other sites of living cultural production, depends on continued use. Therefore, protection and management of these living sites must account for First Nations use, care, and maintenance.

Photo: Dana Lepofsky. Carbon-dated ages of two rock walls on northern Quadra Island in Laichwiltach territories.

More Resources:

• Check out the Clam Garden Network for a detailed list of resources related to clam gardens. Including: academic articles, public school curricula, news stories, and more.
• For any First Nations who are interested in starting their own restoration project, check out this report: Before you add a rock: A pathways document for clam garden restoration.
• Read more about the restoration project on Quadra Island on Nanwakolas’s website, or find it in the news on the Campbell River Mirror’s website.
• Read more about Mamalilikulla’s project on National Observer.