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This time of year,  is traditionally known as SX̱ÁNEȽ- BULLHEAD MOON SX̱ÁNEȽ NIȽ ȽḴÁLJ ŚW̱TÁĆELS TŦE ȻOSEN NEÁTEṈ EȻS PIOTEȽ. TUO OL HOI TŦE ĆEḴ ŚPW̱ELO, EN SU YÁ, SȽO I ȻNIȽ EN SU QENEW̱TŦE SX̱ÁNEȽ SÁSU. U MEQ TŦE QEQSEĆEN I TŦE SX̱EDJELI TÁĆEL. ȻNIȽS TU ÍYSOTs TŦE SCÁĆEL. I ȻNIȽs YÁs ĆELÁU TŦE SW̱E W̱OEŦ YÁ, ȾOḰES LÁE TŦE STOLU. ENÁ, I WÁWE EṮ TENĆOLEḰ. TW̱E YOŦ OL U SÁSU TŦE QEȽ W̱ILṈEW̱ȽTE. ĆEUIN SELÁLEW̱I U YÁ, SȽO. ÁMEĆEṈ SU ṮELÁENs EȻs ȽÁUḴEM I TŦE S₭Á, U ȻENTOL E TŦE ȽEKES. I HO SW̱YÁ, ṮEȽNÁLEṈ I [...]

On May 4th,  the name SMONEĆTEN was restored to what was formerly known as McDonald Campground in Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Watch the renaming ceremony replay below: Four hand-carved cedar panels and an interpretive display have been installed at the campground as part of the reinstatement of W̱SÁNEĆ language, history and culture on the land. The displays share how the site was once a place to gather liquid pitch, also known as sap, from Douglas fir trees to start fires, patch canoes, heal wounds, and light lanterns. “In the heart of W̱SÁNEĆ Territory, right next to the old village [...]

In Canada, Indigenous women and girls are targeted for violence more than any other group.  They are 12 times more likely to go missing or be killed. In the US, they face murder rates up to 10 times higher than the national average. An annual women’s memorial march to commemorate missing and murdered indigenous women and girls takes place each Valentines Day downtown Vancouver (image courtesy of Daily Hive) In 2019, a national inquiry named this crisis in Canada a genocide. The in-depth report found that regularly, missing indigenous women and girls are stereotyped or stigmatized and their family’s [...]

W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council is pleased to announce the SMONEĆTEN renaming ceremony of what is now known as McDonald Park. The event will be taking place this May 4th and be live-streamed on Facebook and Zoom at 2:15pm on May 4th, 2021. To watch on Facebook, please 1. Like the WLC Facebook page 2. Be on Facebook at 2:15 3. Watch for the notification W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council is LIVE. To join via zoom, please Click this link at 2:15: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88212166463?pwd=VDdEU0xaMmRGT0hmeVFrTVhmTGY0Zz09 To learn more about the renaming, please read the full article, here. MORE OPPORTUNITIES [...]

Honoring WSÁNEĆ Knitters: From the 1940’s to 1990’s a large number of W̱SÁNEĆ women knit to feed their families. As part of WLC’s mission to promote respect for W̱SÁNEĆ culture, this is the second of a three part series celebrating W̱SÁNEĆ knitters.  The first article honoured the knitters who have passed. This feature celebrates some of the contemporary knitters of the community, the details of how knitting has been passed on through the generations, as well as the ways knitting has both changed and stayed the same. Verna & Joe Ellsworth “Knitting connects me to my memories and my [...]

This time of year,  is traditionally known as PEXSISEṈ - The Moon of the Opening hands, the blossoming out Moon. NIȽ PEXSISEṈ ȽḰÁLJ ĆȽ ENÁ,. PEXSISEṈ TŦE MEQ STÁṈ JISEṈ TŦE ŦÁŦḴI SU ȻILs TŦE SPAKEṈ. TW̱E YOŦ OL U PE,PE,W̱ÁLS TŦE SĆES E TIÁ ȽḰÁLJ. NIȽ EN ŚW̱TU,O, QENEW̱TŦE XELXELJ. ȻNIȽ EN SU OLEXET EN SU ŚÁMET I KELOEṈ E TŦE S,OX̱E. TES E TŦEN ŚW̱ĆAḴET TŦE XPȺ. EN SU ȽENÁS JELLIs NIȽ ĆOȻEW̱SE TŦE SȽEUI E TIÁ, ĆEN ȾOȽEN. NIȽ SE SU XÁĆENs TŦE ḰȽȺs TŦE XPȺ EN SU ĆȺ E TŦE XEUES SNEW̱EȽ E TIÁ, [...]

Join Us April 13th to share your vision For A Shared Future As W̱SÁNEĆ People In the last community engagement session in February 2021, we covered "Our Shared History as a W̱SÁNEĆ people." An event where we looked at our history as told by non-indigenous, we then also had an opportunity to listen to our elders about our oral history as a W̱SÁNEĆ people. Using these two versions of history, we created a timeline using a miro board that we then shared with you. Now that we have looked at our past, this session will focus on the present. [...]

From the 1940’s to 1990’s, many W̱SÁNEĆ women knit to feed their families. As part of WLC’s mission to promote respect for W̱SÁNEĆ culture, this is the first of a three-part series honouring the history of knitting and W̱SÁNEĆ knitters. The history of W̱SÁNEĆ knitters “The average person thinks of a Cowichan sweater as a three-tone, chunky, geometric pattern knit, but to me, it represents survival. I believe my grandmother raised my father and his siblings off her knitting. I am very proud to be a Coast Salish knitter, there’s pride in the resiliency of the history of it.” Joni [...]