WLC

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 [...]

Hope is Queen will pressure Ottawa IMAGE CAPTION: Chief Vern Jacks, of the Tseycum First Nation, holds a letter outlining his concerns over native rights that he’ll present to Queen Elizabeth when the monarch lands in Victoria this afternoon. “A dominant society that does not respect or acknowledge our history,” the letter states. “Our youths feel alienated because there still exists the discrimination that was afflicted on our people by the arrival of the first Europeans.”    The Queen and Prince Philip begin their Canadian tour today.  After several hours in Nunavut, Canada’s newest territory, they will land at a Canadian [...]

📰 Take a look at a February 1977 issue of the “Tribal News,” a window into the past of the Saanich Nation. ✨ Here’s a sneak peak at what you’ll find in this article: ✔️ Dave Elliott asserts Saanich Nation’s rightful ownership of Mt. Newton and opposes ongoing logging and land sales. ✔️ Chief Gus Bill (Tsyal-qwaya) shares wisdom and a vision of unity. 🤝🏾 ✔️ News from Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, and Tseycum bands highlight progress and challenges. 🏘️🛶 ✔️ Beautiful poems by Phoena Spahan, a Grade 10 student at Parkland High. 🧡 ✔️ And More: Land claims, local initiatives, [...]

Update on MOTI Proposed Barrier and Road Widening Project at SELE₭TEȽ ÍY, SȻÁĆEL SIÁM. The WLC Board met in March to get debriefed on what we heard at the two W̱SÁNEĆ community engagement forums in October 2023 and January 2024, and then met with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure on June 19 about timelines for engagement on the Goldstream Park Median Barrier and Malahat Highway Widening Project. What We Heard: Goldstream Project Engagement In January 2024 WLC held the second of two W̱SÁNEĆ community engagement forums. Input received was consistent with what we heard in October, and included: [...]

This time of year is traditionally known as ĆENQOLEW ĆENQOLEW NIȽ ŚW̱TUOs TÁĆEL TŦE QOLEW̱E TIÁ, ȽḴÁLJ. ȻȽ ENÁ, QENETES TŦE STOLU ŚW̱LÁEs SE Ȼs SÁȻES TŦE ḴELEXs. I U TUE EMNIEṈ TŦEN QEȽ W̱ILṈEW̱ṮELÁEṈ E TŦE SMÍEŦ I TŦE ṈIED. ŚELṈESTÁLs E TŦE ÁYET. NIȽ U HOI OL I ȽȻOUES TŦE QOLEW̱ȻE ENÁs JÁN U HOI OL ÍY S,ŚÁMENEȽ EN SU ÁLET TŦEN SKELOEṈ EN SȻÁ TW̱TIÁ, ĆENȾOȽEṈ. TES E TIÁ, SU YÁ’s TŦEN SĆÁLEĆE ȽEMEȾEṈ E TŦE ḰEMĆOLS LÁE EṮ PELḰȾÁEṈ. NIȽ LEPLIT ȽTE TŦE ŚNÁEM HO NI TŦE SQȺ U STÁṈ EN SU ḰÁNES TŦE [...]