Douglas Treaty

What are your thoughts on the Douglas Treaty? Let us know through this survey by clicking the button below: Survey Transcript Good afternoon, my name is Carl Olsen, my English name and my First Nations name is ZȺWIZUT. It's my grandfather's name on my mother’s side. What do you think to hunt and fish as formerly meant to our ancestors? To hunt and fish as formerly in the treaty has given us a right to carry on our way of fishing. For me to hunt as formerly means that I'm able to go out and hunt anytime I [...]

What are your thoughts on the Douglas Treaty? Let us know through this survey by clicking the button below: Survey Transcript ÍY¸ SȻÁĆEL SIÁM, NE SĆÁLECE J¸SITEN TŦE NE SȻÁ¸NES NÁ W̱JOȽEEP TFÁ¸ E SNÁ HIŦ ȻO ĆELAṈ EN TŦÁ¸E SNÁ ÍY¸ ŚW̱ḰÁLE ȻENEN NES AŦE ȻENTOL EṮ¸ NE ȻKIYE TIA ÁNEȻ NES ENÁ TÁĆEL E TIÁ ÁNEȻ ḰOḰEL E TŦE SYES SKÁLS. My name is J¸SITEN and I'm here in W̱JOȽEEP and as well as my name is from here, connected to that name from Ancestry. I'm happy to be here at the office today for this [...]

What are your thoughts on the Douglas Treaty? Let us know through this survey by clicking the button below: Survey Transcript Eric Pelkey. I'm the community engagement coordinator of the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council. My traditional name and title is WEC'KINEM. I’m the hereditary chief of the Tsawout of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation. What does to hunt and fish as formerly mean to you? To hunt and fish as formerly really means our way of life. The economy that we had at the time of the signing of the treaty in 1852, that to hunt and fish as formerly really [...]

Times Colonist: Jul 18, 1985 The Tsawout Indian Band is prepared to go to the Supreme Court of Canada to prevent a 500-boat marina development in Saanichton Bay, says councilor Gus Underwood.    “We’re prepared to take whatever measures are necessary,” he said. “We’ll carry our fight to the highest court in the land to get justice.”    Central Saanich council con Monday issued a development permit for the marina.    The band claims the development on the 6.15-hectare site is contrary to the 1858 James Douglas Treaty, which guaranteed Saanich Indians hunting and fishing rights.    Underwood, who was out of town and [...]

Times Colonist: Jul 16, 1985    Central Saanich council unanimously approved issuing a development permit for a 500-boat marina in Saanichton Bay Monday despite warnings from native Indians that development is contrary to the James Douglas Treaty.    Council’s action paves the way for a request for a building permit by Saanichton Marina Ltd.    The area has been zoned for marina use for 16 years.    “The Indian people of Saanich demand that you respect the terms of the treaty,” said Tsawout band manager Earl Claxton.     “In return for making lands available for non-Indian settlement, including the lands where this council is debating [...]

Times Colonist: June 27, 2014 > FROM A1: SUPREME COURT RULING ON ABORIGINAL LAND TITLES For Island First Nations, a 'game-changer' SARAH PETRESCU and LINDSAY KINES Times Colonist A landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling Thursday could set a significant precedent for Vancouver Island First Nations.    The ruling, which for the first time recognizes a First Nations' right to a specific tract of land, has "huge implications" for the five bands that make up the Saanich (WSANEC) Nation, said Eric Pelkey, treaty officer for Tsawout First Nation.    "This means a lot to us. These are the same issues we are [...]

Collaboration Between Nations Key To Reclaiming Land Rights The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council is celebrating the victories of BC First Nations who have reclaimed land-based rights in shared territories. Shown above, Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, and Tsleil-Waututh Nation sign a historic collaboration agreement with Vancouver’s UNDRIP Task Force  Challenges in working with colonial bodies to reclaim land rights Historically, colonial bodies have failed to acknowledge Indigenous perspectives on land ownership, rights, and land use. Where colonial bodies rely on rigidly defined property lines to determine who “owns” land, Indigenous understandings of who can access shared and overlapping territories is [...]

Salmon Habitat & Killer Whales At Increased Risk Due to Ongoing Malahat Expansion: W̱SÁNEĆ Nation Member Protests Carl Olsen - ZȺWIZUT, a W̱SÁNEĆ Nation member has literally taken to the streets. Every Tuesday since March, he stands along the Malahat Highway to raise awareness about the impacts of ongoing construction on the salmon spawning in Goldstream Provincial Park. “Under the (Douglas) Treaty, this stream is protected because we have a right to fish in this stream, but we also have a right to hunt and fish as formerly as well as protect it. That comes first. I have the [...]

Two years of discussions have culminated in a just-signed working arrangement with the Province of BC.  A new Letter of Understanding (LOU) between the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council and the Province of BC is an agreement to have the kinds of discussions necessary for achieving lasting reconciliation.  The LOU is a meaningful first step in attaining the kinds of policy changes necessary to effectively improve the issues most important to members of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation. This work will include seeking to clarify shared understandings of the Douglas Treaties, and how to move forward together.  “This Letter of Understanding signals an [...]

ÍY, SȻÁĆEL SIÁM NE SĆÁLEĆE This article was originally crafted as a response to concerns expressed by community members on the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) page regarding WLC discussions with Government on W̱SÁNEĆ people's inherent, and Douglas Treaty rights. The response became too long to post on social media so this article aims to answer some of those concerns and highlights some complexities of the important work regarding W̱SÁNEĆ inherent rights. Recently, I have found this information to be more critical, and am called to share this perspective with the broader W̱SÁNEĆ community. This article contains an analysis of the [...]