First Nation Village Discovered in Northern British Columbia

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA—CBC News reports that traces of a large village and of complex wooden fishing weirs dating back at least 1,300 years have been discovered in northern British Columbia, in agreement with the oral history of the Lake Babine First Nation. Members of the Lake Babine First Nation asked researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia to collaborate with them in a search for evidence of ancient settlements in the region, where their ancestors would gather in the summer to harvest and preserve salmon. “The Babine watershed actually is home to quite a large number of the Skeena sockeye that come in from Prince Rupert,” confirmed project director Farid Rahemtulla. The researchers plan to return to the area to investigate a 1,000-year-old man-made island on the Babine River. To read about how a study of two lakes in British Columbia has provided insights into the route used by the first people to migrate to the Americas, go to “Coast over Corridor.”