“We Look to the Water”: Coastal Erosion and the Transformation of shíshálh Cultural Landscapes

Rising sea levels, storm surges, and shoreline erosion are ongoing climate change effects that have produced tremendous impacts on Indigenous cultural heritage across the world. Few available studies have focused on how these impacts will affect heritage sites and cultural landscapes on the coast of British Columbia until very recently. The shíshálh Nation is one community whose archaeological sites and cultural landscapes represent shíshálh occupation since time immemorial and are at risk of shoreline retreat within this century. By combining a spatial analysis of shoreline risk with shíshálh perspectives on environmental change, this thesis explores projected shoreline erosion within the swiya while emphasizing the importance of protecting cultural landscapes. GIS-based modelling identified that between 31% and 47% of recorded archaeological and traditional-use sites within five study areas—xénichen, kálpilín, sxwélap, tsú-lích, and ch’átlich—are located between zero and three metres of elevation above mean sea level and are therefore at risk of inundation or erosion by 2100. These results are further supported by documented tidal flat submergence and shoreline retreat visible in national shoreline-sensitivity data and 3D visualizations. Qualitative analysis of traditional place names and community narratives reveals deep cultural connections to these landscapes and long-standing awareness of environmental change. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that addressing climate-driven site loss requires collaborative, holistic approaches that contribute to archaeological scholarship and support Indigenous self-determination in the face of accelerating climate change.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Archeology

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Fender, Christie Calli Terri

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Stuart, Glenn
• Clark, Terence

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Greenfield, Tina
• Betts, Matthew

• Coastal Erosion
• Climate Change
• Archaeology
• Northwest Coast
• Cultural Landscapes
• Coastal Vulnerability
• Coastal Erosion: Sea Level Rise

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/18265

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/18265