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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.