The story of Shuká Káa is not simply a story about the past.

It is a story that has immediate relevance to the present and to the future, in ways that go beyond the scientific contributions to the understanding of American prehistory.

The Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast — the Tlingit, the Haida, the Tsimshian, the Heiltsuk, and many others — are living communities facing the specific challenges of the present moment.

Climate change is threatening the ecological systems that have sustained the Northwest Coast adaptation for 10,000 years: warming ocean temperatures are affecting salmon populations, ocean acidification is affecting shellfish, and the specific patterns of marine productivity that have been the foundation of coastal life are showing signs of change.

The deep historical connection of the Northwest Coast peoples to their marine environment — a connection now documented across 10,000 years — gives particular urgency to these ecological changes.