About This Meeting

Guided by partners from several Coast Salish communities in the Salish Sea and island residents, over the last five years the Xwe’etay/Lasqueti Archaeology Project team has been weaving together archaeological and land-use planning research to understand heritage land use in the past and present — and how to better protect Indigenous heritage into the future. A key component of the project is centering archaeology to bring together Coast Salish and settler communities for meaningful conversations and connections.

This presentation will share details about community-engaged archaeology from an Indigenous, archaeological, and planning perspective. It will present findings about the rich archaeological history and development patterns on Xwe’etay/Lasqueti island, discuss the intersection of land use planning with Indigenous archaeological heritage (IAH) conservation, present information on Indigenous heritage policy, and outline pathways forward for better understanding settler values and concerns regarding IAH protection.

Presenters:

Ogwi’low’gwa Kim Recalma-Clutesi, Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, is a Matriarch, scholar, academic and cultural mentor, traditional knowledge-holder, teacher, writer, filmmaker, community leader, and cross-cultural interpreter. A member of the Qualicum First Nation, where she served as elected Chief, she is deeply committed to helping share Indigenous Peoples’ values and perspective to the non-Native world. She has devoted her life to upholding traditional Indigenous rights, knowledge and values. She is currently the cultural advisor on Simon Fraser University’s Xwe’etay/Lasqueti Archaeology Project and has served on various boards such as Aboriginal People’s Television Network, Ecotrust Indigenous Leadership Awards Program and Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Foundation. She was also an advisor for RCMP E. Division and the Ministry of Child and Family Services, and has organized competency workshops for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Kim received an honorary doctorate from SFU in 2025.

Dana Lepofsky, BA, MA, PhD, is a professor of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. She conducts archaeological and ethnoecological research that spans disciplines and communities and that situates the knowledge and experiences of the past in current social and ecological contexts. Her work involves working with and learning from Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest to document how their past interactions with their lands and seas are recorded in memory, language, and the ecological, paleoecological, and archaeological records. Dana is committed to bringing together settler and Indigenous populations to promote Indigenous heritage conservation and respect.

Sean Markey, PhD MCIP RPP, is a professor and certified planner with the School of Resource and Environmental Management, and the Dean of the Faculty of Environment at Simon Fraser University. Sean’s research concerns issues of local and regional economic development, rural and small-town development, and sustainable planning and infrastructure. He is also a published author.

For information about the project and partners see:  https://www.sfu.ca/rem/lasqueti/archaeology.html

Register here: https://islandstrust.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pDIInkRLTu6nrUI89DXmiA