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Eric Pelkey, W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council's Community Engagement Coordinator and hereditary chief of Tsawout, featured in CBC News. In this article, Erik Pelkey speaks about the impact of the Vancouver Island to U.S. ferry cancellation on W̱SÁNEĆ community members. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-island-us-ferry-cancelled-until-2030-1.6765073 RECENT POSTS Leave Us Your Feedback Here

Four Chiefs To Sit On Board    Four Saanich Peninsula band chiefs will sit on Canada's first Indian school board, it was announced Thursday at a meeting in the East Saanich Reserve community hall.    The new board will run Tsartlip day school on West Saanich Road.    The chiefs - Phil Paul (Tsartlip), Gabriel Pelkey (Tsawout), Don Williams (Pauquachin), and Sandy Jones (Teycum) - will make up an interim board along with Victor Underwood Jr., Gus Bill, Marie Cooper and Tom Sampson.    The four bands formed the Saanich Indian Education Association two years ago when they learned the federal government planned to [...]

W̱SÁNEĆ Marine and Land Use Plan Community Engagement Events All engagements are virtual via Zoom. Please register in advance. Register once and you can choose to attend whichever sessions you would like: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sceCvrj0qGNWamk_0H2YB Xxm5ry_6Ggyw Download the poster as a PDF RECENT POSTS Join the next community engagement session.

Indian Chief Hits Poverty Culture    “Poverty culture,” not Indian culture, is the main barrier preventing Indians from taking their rightful place in society.    Tsartlip Chief Philip Paul, administrator of Indian Vocational Training Services in Victoria, emphasized this when he headed a panel discussion on the education of Indian children held at the Institute of Adult Studies Monday evening.    “We’re dealing with a basic economic situation,” he said.  “We must hold discussions, sift information and carefully build up Indians to the point where they can fully participate in society.”    The panel was the outcome of a dispute last December sparked by [...]

Above: Replica W̱SÁNEC artifacts gifted by Parks Canada to the Leadership Council. W̱SÁNEĆ Cultural Workers have been appointed to an Archaeology Committee to guide archaeological and cultural heritage policy development and archaeological work in W̱SÁNEĆ territory. Above: Ancient W̱SÁNEC artifacts uncovered during work done for the CRD Wastewater Treatment Plant Project The Vision for the Archaeology Committee is to: Develop a terms of reference for their work (complete and approved November 2022) Develop Archaeology policy, procedures, and fee-for-service framework Recruit archaeological program staff (funding dependent) Identify training for cultural workers Participate in archaeological work in W̱SÁNEĆ territory [...]

Tod Inlet title is what Tsartlips want Band councillor says money isn’t the issue The site-specific land claim filed by the Tsartlip band is based on title, not money, says band councillor John Elliott. “We’re not interested in money, it’s the title to the land that’s at stake,” Elliott said in an interview. He was responding to statements by Central Saanich Coun. Kip Wilson that the issue is “clearly one of compensation.” Wilson, a lawyer, told council the best the band with end up with is money. “There won’t be any transferring of ownership of land,” he told council. The [...]

This time of year, from around what is now called mid-February to mid-March, is traditionally known as WEXWS-Moon of the Frog. The frog on the face of the moon represents DOLUANW – the Keeper of the Sacred Season. It is time to gather food & medicine. The W̱SÁNEĆ People place cedar boughs at the shore so herring will lay roe on them. CONNECTIONS AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION  The W̱SÁNEĆ People designated this month to sacredness and purification. For the W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples, this moon, in particular, is significant because the frog acts as a witness and a messenger. The frog [...]

Indians Plan Legal Fight On Goldstream    A legal battle looms between Indian bands and the city over the proposed transfer of 700 acres of Goldstream property by the Greater Victoria Water Board to the Provincial government for park development.    Chief Thunderbird, otherwise known as Jean Baptiste Paul, of Brentwood, who claims the land belongs to the Indians, said today legal action will be taken if the transfer plans go ahead.    Chief Thunderbird, who achieved fame as a wrestler in the United States and Europe, said the Indian claim to the land is supported by the Tsartlip, Saanich and Malahat bands. [...]

Cadboro Bay Takes Runny Nose to Heart   Residents in the Cadboro Bay district have responded to suggestions that more places and streets be given Indian names in the capital region.    They have agreed to name a new eight-acre natural park at Ten-Mile Point “Knuksen.”   Knuksen means “runny nose” the Indian name for Ten-Mile Point.    The word is descriptive of a running tide running around a nose-shaped point.    Parks Administrator Bert Richmond said the main problem on using Indian names is the spelling.    “We got the correct spelling for this name from Wilson Duff, anthropologist at the University of British Columbia,” [...]