Saanich Indigenous leadership launches website to educate non-Indigenous people about region's history
The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council has launched a new website to give non-Indigenous people information about the history and culture of the Saanich Peninsula First Nations.
The council’s community and engagement coordinator says the site was developed in response to requests from the public for information about the W̱SÁNEĆ people.
“People want to know about the land they are living in,” said council spokesperson Eric Pelkey. “People want to know how to honour our people and honour the land.”
The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council represents the Tseycum, Tsartlip and Tsawout First Nations located on the Saanich Peninsula. Pelkey says the council provides a united front in the common interests for the people of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation.
Pelkey says interest in the language, culture and territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people has been on the rise since children’s remains were discovered at the sites of former residential schools in Kamloops and on Penelakut Island, formerly known as Kuper Island.
“Since the residential grave site discoveries, the inquiries have jumped from people who want to know how to honour our people,” said Pelkey. “We feel that it shows us that the community on general is interested and willing to learn about the land and the history of the people.”
He says that by making information available on the webpage, people can research the history, language, culture and land of the W̱SÁNEĆ people.
“It is strictly aimed towards settlers because people want to know how to acknowledge the rightful owners of the unceded territory and they want to know how to do that respectfully,” said Pelkey. “We’ve laid it all out on the webpage so people can follow along and use it as a handy resource.”
The webpage includes a link to an interactive map of the Indigenous territories in Greater Victoria, labeled with each site’s traditional W̱SÁNEĆ name. It also includes a guide to pronouncing the original place names in the SENĆOŦEN language spoken by the W̱SÁNEĆ people who lived there.
Pelkey says people who visit the webpage will also learn how the ways of life of Indigenous people were disrupted by colonialism and removed from their traditional territory.
“We hope that [they] can see the unjust actions that have been perpetrated against our people,” said Pelkey. “The denial of our fishing and hunting rights, we want people to become knowledgeable about that and hopefully support us in the future in some way.”
The council hopes that people will visit the page as a first step on a journey of reconciliation.
“We feel that our history and our rights to the land have been hidden for a long time and now we want to get it out there,” said Pelkey. “We want to get the word out there about who we are and that the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation is still here. We want to get the word out there about our territory, our language and our history so people can become educated.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.