Clam Garden Series: Dennis Hetu and the ancestral clam farm

By Nora O’Malley Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie, Toquaht citizen Dennis Hetu couldn’t believe his eyes the day he stumbled upon an ancient clam garden in his ḥaḥuułi (traditional territory) on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The action unfolded over 20 years ago, but Hetu remembers it like it was yesterday. Having just acquired a commercial licence to harvest oysters, Hetu was out on the water scouting beaches when he came across an inviting spot for clamming. It was low tide, he had a rake on hand, plus his aunt had requested clams for dinner…so he boarded the beach and started digging. “I was very weary of the beach because I knew that bears were around. My head was on a swivel….

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