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
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.