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National Observer
08-05-2025
- General
- National Observer
Ancient clam gardens nourish the Mamalilikulla's past and future
By Rochelle Baker News Island Insider May 8th 2025 Share this article Mamalilikulla Chief Winidi, or John Powell, helps restore an ancient clam garden — a traditional aquaculture system First Nations used to boost shellfish production. Photo by Rochelle Baker / Canada's National Observer Keep climate a national priority Goal: $150k $22k Listen to article Mamalilikulla Chief Winidi, or John Powell, wiggles his pitchfork back and forth to loosen the sand and gravel along a remote stretch of beach in the Broughton Archipelago, sandwiched between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland. As he churns over layers of sediment, a fistful of clams surface with a couple of disturbingly large, fiery red marine worms that flail hundreds of legs to rapidly burrow back into the sand. "Look at all those worms. That's a good sign," Powell said. "You see those a lot when you're digging. They seem to aerate the soil." Powell's clam digging chops are based on personal experience. As a young teen, armed with a pitchfork and Coleman lamp, Powell spent many icy winter nights, when tides were at their lowest, digging up clams for spending money. 'As a young kid, you could make $10 to $20 a night,' he said. 'In the 1960s and 70s, that was big money.' A historical record of the nation's sustainable resource use, reviving clam gardens will increase Mamalilikulla's food security and ensure culture and traditional knowledge is passed down from elders to younger generations, says Chief John Powell. However, this April, Powell's not working for pocket money. During the last zero tide of the clam season, Powell has joined more than a dozen people labouring to revitalize an ancient clam garden so it can continue sustaining the nation's culture, food security and climate resilience. There's a multitude of loxiwe (clam gardens in the Kwak̕wala language) scattered across the Pacific coast, with upwards of a hundred concentrated in Mamalilikulla territory, spanning from Malcolm Island across the Broughton Archipelago and up Knight Inlet. The basis for a clam garden is constructing a rock wall along the low-tide line on a sheltered bay or beach. Over time, as rising tides drop sediment inside the rock boundary, a level beach terrace forms, creating good habitat and shallower, warm water favourable for growing butter and little neck clams. 'There's a lot of these clam gardens all over our territory, but they need to be turned over in order for them to be prosperous,' Powell said. A mix of Guardians, knowledge holders, and scientists supported by the Nanwakolas Council Ha-ma-yas Stewardship Network have spent three days digging up, or 'fluffing' the clam bed and lugging rocks and boulders across the tidal flat to refortify its wall, just as people have done for thousands of years. These marine terraces can produce four times the number of butter clams, and more than double the quantity of littleneck clams compared to unmodified beaches. But to operate at their full potential, they require regular tending. Their care and use declined, however, as First Nation communities were decimated by disease and forced relocation due to colonization. This particular clam garden terrace is immense: it's as deep as a soccer field at its widest points and stretches 800 metres along the shoreline. It will take repeated visits over a number of years before it is fully restored, Powell said. A tangible historical record of the nation's sustainable resource use on the land, reviving clam gardens will increase Mamalilikulla's food security and ensure culture and traditional knowledge is passed down from elders to younger generations, he said. 'Next year, we're going to try to do something from an educational perspective and get some of our young people out to help with this kind of work, so that they can have that same connection to the land.' A terrace this size would have fed a sizable population or village, he added, noting a series of house depressions have been identified on the same island. Clam gardens provided critical winter food when wild weather prevented people from travelling great distances to harvest other provisions, Powell said. 'Clams are the potatoes of the Pacific Northwest coast. It's the food that's available all eight months of the year,' Powell said. 'A clam garden like this for a village is like a dining room table. They just go out and dig for their food.' Taking a break from directing the dig, Mamalilikulla Guardian Watchmen manager Andy Puglas gives a large, fist-sized butter clam a quick crack on the boulder he's sitting on, opening up the shell to expose its insides to show younger crew members. Puglas explains what parts to eat or remove, what time of year they are at their best, and how they should look when they are fresh. Butters, valued for the amount of meat they offer, are good for soup and fritters. 'I make a famous clam chowder,' Puglas said. Identifying a smaller cockle, he notes that the harvesters liked to eat them raw on the spot. Puglas said he and his brother, Hereditary Chief Tom Puglas, have been digging for the shellfish commercially and for 'home food' since their childhood. As young men, they learned about clam gardens thanks to elders. Puglas has helped other nations with ancient beach terraces, but he's long been eager to restore clam gardens in Mamalilikulla territory. ' Adam Dick and Daisy Smith showed us what these were and the proper name,' Puglas said. ' Loxiwe — means turning over, or rolling the rocks.' 'It's been over 25 years since they showed us, but this is the first time we've come onto one of these beaches and [done] this cleaning up.' Before starting the restoration project, the team did a rapid shoreline survey to assess what clam species and marine life the terrace supports, said Gina Thomas, a resource manager and longtime Guardian for the Tlowitsis First Nation. Butter clams, cockles, soft shell and macoma clams were the most abundant species identified within the survey quadrants, but horse clams and little neck clams were also dug up elsewhere on site, she said. Repeating rapid surveys are 'snapshots' that allow researchers to track changes over time, she said. Marrying the traditional mariculture techniques and western science means the restoration project will expand the knowledge base about how clam gardens might boost production and even create beneficial habitat for other species. Since the rock walls of the terrace have been raised, the speed at which new sediment will be deposited can also be measured, she said. Thomas prefers the term 'sea gardens' to describe the ancient beach terraces because the structures support a large variety of marine life and potential food sources. Seaweed, eel grass, ghost shrimp, sand worms, anemones, crabs, small fish, chitons and massive and relatively-rare thatched barnacles were all spotted on site, she said. 'I'm making note of the barnacles because they aren't found everywhere,' Thomas said. 'But when they are, I usually find them in [shell] middens, so that tells you our people were eating them.' Elsewhere, other harvested creatures like sea cucumbers, sea urchins and even octopus have also been found within the tidal structures. Powell said his grandmother taught him how to harvest foods like clams or berries respectfully, working with, rather than against, nature. 'Our people were natural ecologists. They wouldn't dig [a clam garden] until it was barren,' he said. Clam gardens reflect the law of Aweenak'ola, which means at one with the land, sea, sky and supernatural ones, said Powell. 'We depended on nature for our medicine, food and protection,' he said. 'It's our responsibility to house, nourish, conserve all forms of life in the environment so that they'll thrive, and we'll have something for tomorrow.' His grandmother taught him to harvest the largest clams and leave plenty of smaller ones behind to ensure a consistent food supply. He was also schooled to resist the biggest, best-looking berries on the bush when out picking. 'My grandmother used to say you don't take the one that attracts you, because when it falls, it has the greatest chance of making new berries,' Powell said. 'She used to say, like all good mothers, [bushes] hide their children under their skirt, so when you push the branches up, that's where all the berries are.' Rochelle Baker/Local Journalism Initiative/Canada's National Observer May 8th 2025 Rochelle Baker Journalist Keep reading Mark Carney wasn't made for TV — thank goodness By Arno Kopecky Analysis May 7th 2025 First Nations take Alberta premier to task over separatist rhetoric By Natasha Bulowski News Politics Ottawa Insider May 8th 2025 Mining executive under fire for email to Indigenous leader By Sonal Gupta News Energy Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa May 7th 2025 Share this article Share on Bluesky Share on LinkedIn Comments
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SK Hynix says some customers brought forward orders ahead of US tariffs
By Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin ICHEON, South Korea (Reuters) -South Korea's SK Hynix, the world's second-largest memory chipmaker, said on Thursday that some customers have brought forward orders in preparation for new U.S. tariffs on semiconductors. Speaking at the company's annual shareholder meeting, SK Hynix's Head of Global Sales and Marketing, Lee Sang-rak, said the "pull-in" effects, along with the reduction in customers' inventory, led to favourable market conditions recently. But he added it remains to be seen whether the trend will continue. In January, SK Hynix had said its shipments of DRAM and NAND flash memory chips would decline by between 10% and 20% in the first quarter of this year from the previous quarter. U.S. chipmaker Micron, SanDisk and China's YMTC have recently raised their memory chip prices, partly due to robust demand from the AI market, according to media reports. Micron, SanDisk and YMTC were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump said in February he intends to impose tariffs on imports of semiconductors and some other products "in the neighborhood of 25%". "Fears that the U.S. may impose semiconductor tariffs in April have led to preemptive transfers of semiconductor inventory to the United States," Nomura said in a report this week. "It is not yet known if the tariffs will actually be imposed; if this materialises, it could lead to higher prices for set products, which could dampen demand," it added. SK Hynix, a key supplier to AI chip leader Nvidia, expects "explosive growth" in high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips demand this year, backed by investments in data centres, CEO Kwak Noh-Jung told shareholders. In January, SK Hynix forecast sales of its HBM chips would more than double this year. "Our HBM sales for 2025 have already been sold out, and we plan to finalise sales with customers for the 2026 volume within the first half of this year to further strengthen revenue stability," said Kwak. While doubts around a slowdown in spending on AI hardware emerged in January following Chinese startup DeepSeek's claims that it had developed AI models rivaling Western counterparts at a fraction of cost, Nvidia last month signalled that its AI chip demand was intact. Kwak saw DeepSeek's emergence as ultimately beneficial to SK Hynix. "This could likely have a positive impact on medium-to-long-term demand for AI memory chips. From our perspective, we don't see DeepSeek slowing down demand for high-performance accelerators or HBM," said Kwak. Shares in SK Hynix were trading down 2.8% as of 0446 GMT, versus benchmark KOSPI's 1% fall.
Korea Herald
27-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
SK hynix: HBM chips for 2026 to sell out in first half
SK hynix plans to finalize next year's supply agreement for AI-critical high-bandwidth memory chips in the first half of this year, according to chipmaker CEO Kwak Noh-jung. 'This year's HBM supply volume has already sold out, and we plan to finalize consultations with customers for the 2026 volume in the first half of this year,' Kwak said at the company's general shareholders' meeting held at its headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. Kwak added that due to the long production cycle and high investment costs associated with HBM, the company opts for advance volume agreements with clients to enhance sales predictability. SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory-chip maker after Samsung, leads the HBM market, supplying fifth-generation 12-layer HBM3E chips to tech giant Nvidia. HBM is a critical component for the graphics processing units that power generative AI systems like ChatGPT. The chipmaker said last week that it has shipped samples of the next-generation 12-layer HBM4 to its major customers, with plans for mass production in the second half of this year. At the meeting, Kwak expressed confidence in the continued growth of the AI chip market, despite a prolonged economic slump. 'Uncertainty is high with the continued downturn in the global economic growth outlook, but big tech companies are ramping up investment to secure leadership in AI," he said. "With the increase in graphics processing units and application-specific integrated circuits, we expect an explosive rise in HBM demand.' He added that the industry expects the HBM market to expand 8.8-fold and the enterprise solid-state drive market to grow approximately 3.5-fold by 2025, compared to 2023. Kwak played down concerns that low-cost AI models like DeepSeek could reduce demand for high-performance AI memory chips such as HBM4. 'I don't see DeepSeek reducing demand for HBM,' he said. 'With the emergence of AI models like DeepSeek, the entry of new startups into the market will accelerate, and as high-quality AI services increase, demand for AI chips will increase more quickly.' Kwak also emphasized the company's flexibility in managing HBM production, particularly between HBM3E and HBM4. 'Since both products use the same DRAM platform, we can respond flexibly based on demand,' he said. 'We will continue close consultations with our customers leading up to the mass production of HBM4 in the second half of the year.' He also unveiled plans to begin mass production of system-on-chip advanced memory modules, or SOCAMM, a DRAM-based memory module tailored to AI servers and data centers. 'We are working with key customers to proactively respond to expected demand growth in the SOCAMM market for AI servers,' said Kwak. 'Development is underway with the goal of mass production this year.' At the meeting on Thursday, Kwak was reappointed as an internal director, and SK Square CEO Han Myung-jin was appointed as a new external director.
Korea Herald
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
From 'text hip' to 'writing hip': How handwriting has become the new cool
For Park Min-ha, 28, reading has always been a hobby. But in the wake of Han Kang's historic Nobel Prize in literature win last year, her interest has deepened. Lately, she has adopted a new habit: "pilsa," the practice of writing passages from books by hand. "Just reading a book and moving on didn't feel like I had truly absorbed it," Park said. "Writing a full review felt like too much work, so instead, I started jotting down lines that resonated with me." She finds the process meditative. "Slowing down to write by hand helps me reflect on the message more deeply and remember it longer." Park is hardly alone. Kwak Do-gyu, 20, a left-handed pitcher for the Kia Tigers in the Korean Baseball Organization, was seen practicing pilsa on MBC reality TV show "I Live Alone" in an episode that aired Dec. 20, last year. Concerned about overworking his pitching hand, Kwak carefully copied text with his right hand instead. A self-described digital native, Kwak grew up surrounded by screens, making his embrace of such an analog practice all the more striking. "Ever since I started pilsa, I've felt noticeably calmer," he shared. Park and Kwak are just two among many in a surprising trend. In a digital-first world, what was once a niche literary exercise has transformed into a full-fledged movement for the publishing industry in 2025. Surge of pilsa books from quotes, lyrics, constitutions This growing enthusiasm for pilsa is clearly reflected in the publishing industry. Recently, an influx of books designed specifically for handwriting practice has hit the market. These books are structured with text on the left-hand page and blank space on the right, allowing readers to copy passages by hand. While earlier pilsa books primarily focused on poetry and prose, more recent offerings have expanded significantly. The trend now spans a wide range of genres, from famous quotes and philosophical writings to novels and lyrics by popular musicians, such as pop-rock sensation Day6, as well as solo sweethearts IU and Taeyeon. Recent political turmoil has even seen books like 'Copying the Constitution of the Republic of Korea' gain traction. According to Kyobo Book Center, the number of new pilsa titles increased from 57 in 2023 to 81 in 2024 over the year -- a 42 percent increase. Meanwhile, sales of pilsa books surged by an astonishing 692.8 percent. The trend is thriving on social media, with Instagram posts tagged with pilsa rising from an accumulated 650,000 in September 2023 to a total of 701,000 as of this month. 'We're seeing an 'analog boom,' especially among people in their 20s and 30s,' said a Kyobo spokesperson. 'Beyond just reading, there's a growing trend of carefully handwriting passages, decorating them and sharing them on social media.' From text hip to writing hip: Handwriting is the new 'it' In particular, 'One Day One Page' (Wisdom House) has been leading bestseller lists at major bookstores since its release in March 2024. The collection of pilsa practice, along with author Yoo Sun-kyong's commentary and tips on writing, sold over 250,000 copies in just six months. It ranked 14th on the annual Kyobo Book Center's bestseller list last year. If it hadn't been for the Han Kang boom in the latter half of the year, it likely would have secured the ninth spot, according to the bookstore. The book's editor, Lee Sun-hee, said the initial concept was developed around 2021 to offer practical content that people could easily apply to their daily routines. "At that time, due to the pandemic, many people found themselves spending more time at home and alone. They grew fatigued by the overwhelming amount of content they were consuming, and I heard similar feedback from those around me." As a result, she believes people began turning their attention to practical activities that could be done in small, manageable chunks of time. "When we think of handwriting, it's easy to imagine simply copying sentences, but we wanted to clearly highlight the benefits of enhancing vocabulary and literacy through this practice," she added. Another editor at Muhakdongne Publishing, which released a special edition of a pilsa book on Han Kang's novels, commented, 'Along with the rise of the 'text hip' trend, handwriting has solidified its place as a new cultural phenomenon.' 'The process of copying text by hand and reflecting on it offers a healing experience, stimulating emotions in the fast-paced society. (I think) the handwriting craze won't be dying down anytime soon." New digital detox and literacy boost 'Text hip" refers to the idea that reading is fashionable. It became a major phenomenon here in 2024, fueled by the success of the Seoul International Book Fair and the Nobel Prize win. Now, critics say, it has evolved into 'writing hip.' "Handwriting is a very analog activity, and in today's digital age, people seem to be seeking comfort through analog practices,' said cultural critic Ha Jae-geun. The extremely slow act of handwriting has a meditative effect. The simple and repetitive nature of handwriting provides comfort and calm, helping to relieve stress and soothe the mind, as KBO southpaw Kwak mentioned. In ancient times, it was considered a religious ritual, similar to copying Buddhist scriptures. Cultural critic Kim Heon-sik described the act as a kind of 'digital detox.' 'It's like zoning out. While trying to meditate, busy thoughts might arise, but when you focus on something else, you can temporarily forget them." Another benefit of handwriting, according to Ha, is a boost in literacy. 'People are used to fragmented, short digital information, and a concern about a decline in literacy has been growing,' said Ha. "As a result, there's a desire to fill that intellectual void through handwriting." Encountering well-written sentences helps improve writing skills. While the words and expressions used in everyday life are somewhat limited, encountering unfamiliar words and phrases broadens linguistic range, improving vocabulary. "Through handwriting, people rediscover words they knew but had forgotten, helping to enhance their expressive abilities,' Ha said. 'Younger generations are interpreting handwriting as an act to develop their intellectual abilities and address this sense of literacy crisis.' hwangdh@
Korea Herald
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
KG Mobility debuts Korea's first electric pickup Musso EV
Korean automaker KG Mobility officially launched its first electric pickup truck, the Musso EV, on Wednesday at its headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The launch ceremony was attended by KG Mobility Chairman Kwak Jae-sun, Co-CEOs Hwang Ki-young and Park Jang-ho, along with officials from Chinese battery maker BYD, which supplies the battery system for the new electric vehicle. 'While the Torres and Actyon were planned when the company was still known as SsangYong Motor, the Musso EV is the first model for which I approved the investment plan after taking on the role of chairman,' said Chairman Kwak during the event. 'This vehicle holds great significance for me, and I have a special sentiment attached to its launch.' Formerly known as SsangYong Motor, the company is known for its expertise in manufacturing SUVs and pickup trucks. It was acquired by the Korean logistics-to-media conglomerate KG Group in 2022, subsequently rebranding as KG Mobility. As Korea's first electric pickup truck, the Musso EV combines the rugged appeal of a pickup truck with the sleek, modern aesthetic of an electric vehicle, according to the company. The Musso EV features a bold, solid silhouette, with a robust body structure seamlessly integrated with the cargo deck. The front end is accentuated by dot-style horizontal daytime running lights and slim turn signal lamps aligned with the running lights, delivering a refined, high-tech appearance. Powered by an 80.6-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery, the Musso EV boasts a driving range of 400 kilometers, the longest of any electric cargo truck in Korea. It can carry up to 500 kilograms of cargo on its deck, while spacious legroom and reclining second-row seats enhance its potential as a family-friendly vehicle. The top-tier Black Edge trim model is priced at 50.5 million won ($34,674), while the base MX model starts at 48 million won. However, both models qualify for government subsidies, reducing the final consumer price. To honor the automaker's 71-year legacy, the Musso EV was named after the company's iconic SUV and pickup truck, the Musso, which was sold in the 1990s and early 2000s. Alongside the Musso EV, KG Mobility unveiled its new pickup truck brand, Musso, which will encompass all current and future pickup truck models. Under this rebranding, the existing pickup truck models — Rexton Sports and Rexton Sports Khan — will now be renamed Musso Sports and Musso Khan, respectively. 'KGM has pioneered new markets in the evolving mobility environment by offering advanced technology and core values,' said CEO Kwak. 'Leveraging our long-standing expertise in pickup trucks, we will showcase our differentiated competitive strengths in the global market, solidifying our position as a trusted mobility brand.'
