Monthly Archives: March 2021

Join Us April 13th to share your vision For A Shared Future As W̱SÁNEĆ People In the last community engagement session in February 2021, we covered "Our Shared History as a W̱SÁNEĆ people." An event where we looked at our history as told by non-indigenous, we then also had an opportunity to listen to our elders about our oral history as a W̱SÁNEĆ people. Using these two versions of history, we created a timeline using a miro board that we then shared with you. Now that we have looked at our past, this session will focus on the present. [...]

From the 1940’s to 1990’s, many W̱SÁNEĆ women knit to feed their families. As part of WLC’s mission to promote respect for W̱SÁNEĆ culture, this is the first of a three-part series honouring the history of knitting and W̱SÁNEĆ knitters. The history of W̱SÁNEĆ knitters “The average person thinks of a Cowichan sweater as a three-tone, chunky, geometric pattern knit, but to me, it represents survival. I believe my grandmother raised my father and his siblings off her knitting. I am very proud to be a Coast Salish knitter, there’s pride in the resiliency of the history of it.” Joni [...]

During excavation for a new pump station on Interurban road, as part of the work on the CRD Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, the CRD uncovered ancient W̱SÁNEC artifacts. The CRD Wastewater Treatment Plant Project is a $775 million project that was undertaken by the Capital Regional District to enhance wastewater treatment in the region.  The project includes a Wastewater Treatment Facility at McLoughlin Point that treats the sewage and pumps the material for further treatment, through conveyance lines, to the Residuals Treatment Facility located at Hartland Landfill. Initially, the CRD failed to adequately consult with or obtain consent [...]

The WLC is pleased to welcome Pekwatenaat (Fawn Jack) to the team! Learn more about Pekwatenaat and how she will help fulfill the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council's mandate. Click play to view the short interview, or read the transcript below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVPahbnVHJk Pekwatenaat: My name is Pekwatenaat,  is my traditional name. Fawn is my given name. I grew up in Tseycum and in Tsartlip. I have roots as far as Cowichan,  all the way down to W̱SÁNEĆ. I feel that my interim office manager position is just a great opportunity to show my children that when you apply yourself to [...]