WLC

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,” [...]

Bow Hunting Course Update Thank you to everyone who attended our most recent Bow Hunting Course. It was a great success and we’re looking forward to more events in the future.  We would like to know if anyone is interested in Bow Hunting evening and weekend classes in the future. If so, please sign up through the waitlist form and you’ll be notified about dates if there’s enough interest.  Waitlist Signup Form: https://forms.gle/xg1JGgVQvH3dPJkc7 RECENT POSTS Leave Us Your Feedback Here

In our world, this is the true beginning of the Saanich Year. The new moon signifies a change--our days are growing longer. Nature, the moons, and the whole world are being reborn. ṈIṈENE – MOON OF THE CHILD  The face of the young man represents youth, a new beginning, the rebirth of the animal world, and the new edible shoots. This is the Saanich New Year. The moon’s yellow hair is the returning light to the world. WEATHER This is the time the Earth starts to move closer to the Sun once again. All things begin to warm [...]

Natives appeal case VICTORIA – Two native men are appealing a precedent-setting decision outlawing pit-lamping – the use of lights to hunt game at night.    Ivan Morris and Carl Olson, of the Saanich First Nation were caught using a flashlight to spot and shoot what turned out to be a decoy deer near Youbou in 1996.    The B.C. Supreme Court rejected an earlier appeal that the 1852 Douglas Treaty allows aboriginals to hunt at night with lights.  Their latest appeal will be heard in the B.C. Court of Appeal. RECENT POSTS How are we doing? [...]

Blueberry River First Nations’ Landmark Legal Victory Sets Strong Precedent for Protection of W̱SÁNEĆ Douglas Treaty Rights The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) is exploring the application of the landmark legal victory by the Blueberry River First Nations (Blueberry) in Yahey v. British Columbia, 2021 BCSC 1287 (Yahey) to W̱SÁNEĆ Douglas Treaty rights. The findings of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in this recent decision lends support to the WLC in their mandate to promote the interests of the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations by pursuing the protection of our treaty rights. As controversial as they may be, the 1852 North [...]

Eric Pelkey Interviewed for Seaside Magazine Eric Pelkey, Community Engagement Coordinator for the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, provided an Indigenous perspective on the history of the Saanich Peninsula for an article called The History of the Saanich Peninsula: Part 1 – A Foundation of Diversity by Doreen Marion Gee. You can read the article on their website now: https://seasidemagazine.ca/the-history-of-the-saanich-peninsula-part-1-a-foundation-of-diversity/ RECENT POSTS Leave Us Your Feedback Here