Monthly Archives: October 2024

Tribal Councils and other collaborative bodies – are organizations where multiple bands sit together to provide services, to create access to the resources, to meaningfully advance the rights of Indigenous communities, to lessen competition and to take care of internal business before meeting with external organizations or governments. Collaborations such as Tribal Councils are important because they are Indigenous governance structures. Their unified voice challenges the colonial argument - that western governments need to manage territory because First Nations are divided and do not have the structures in place to manage shared spaces. W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) Policy and [...]

Removal of Invasive Deer on SḰŦÁMEN to Continue in Fall 2024 Last year, property owners voted to move forward with the eradication of all fallow deer on Sidney Island. Eradication of fallow deer on Sidney Island will continue this fall. This permanent elimination of the fallow deer on Sidney Island is a last resort effort to stop the devastating impact they’ve caused the delicate ecosystem. Fallow deer are an invasive species introduced in the area by Europeans in the 1900s. The deer indiscriminately eat the island’s vegetation and have left the island devoid of medicines and food bulbs [...]

Study Hall for Indians    High school students from four Indian reserves on the Saanich peninsula are being provided with a “study hall” program on week nights in Tsartlip School, Brentwood.    Transportation to the school, where tutors and reference materials are available, has been arranged by the Indian school board.    Molly Pelkey, school and home co-ordinator, says there are 75 students from East and West Saanich, Pat Bay and Cole Bay reserves who can take advantage of the program.    Most of the students achieve much more by studying in classroom environment, she said.    “They find this program really works.”    A private [...]

Early counts show the Salmon population in the SELEK̵TEL̵, also known as Goldstream River, will increase in 2024, yet the Salmon need the support of the community to ensure continued survival. As relatives and a critical traditional food source for W̱SÁNEĆ and KELŁOLEMEĆEN, it is important to protect Salmon of the Salish Sea. SELEK̵TEL̵ is a key spawning ground for Chum, Chinook, and Coho Salmon. Due to an oil spill in 2011, the environmental disturbance caused by Bear Mountain Resort, and other disruptions caused by settler infrastructure and activity, the number of Salmon in SELEK̵TEL̵ has fallen dramatically. In [...]

This year’s Tribal Journeys event culminated on August 5th, 2024 and was a resounding success. (Shown here: Video of W̱SÁNEĆ landing) Tribal Journeys are annual traditional canoe voyages during which canoe families representing individual First Nations and Tribes paddle long distances across ancestral waterways to a shared location for five Protocol Days. Tribal Journeys are an opportunity to celebrate the reemergence of Coast Salish culture and communities on the water, preserve cultural knowledge, and encourage the continued use of canoes. When it comes to Tribal Journeys, the journey is just as important as the destination. As each canoe [...]

Read the transcript below to learn more about ĆILTEN (Phil)  and the impactful work he’ll be doing with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council. Can you tell me a bit about who you are and where you’re from? ÍY¸ ȻEĆIL, SI¸ÁM¸ ĆILTEN TŦE NE SNÁ ĆSELÁ¸E SEN W̱JOȽEȽP. Good morning. I am from the Tsartlip First Nation and have grown up in our community all my life. I have four children and one grandson —  three daughters and one son — and I have been part of the Tom and Bartleman family here in Tsartlip. What kind of work will [...]