Stqeeye’ Learning Society has passed the halfway mark in raising funds for our new home at Xwaaqw’um (pronounced KHWOK-wum), the Hul’qumi’num name for the Burgoyne Valley. To celebrate we wanted to share a story about a video we made a year ago, but had to take down shortly after it was made, because it contained a name and an image that we wouldn’t be able to use for a year: Tousilum. Prior to the arrival of settlers, the Cowichan village of Xwaaqw’um was rich in resources, including up to 5 long houses that were stewarded by a Cowichan Chief named Tousilum, and his family. With the arrival of settlers and a colonial government dedicated to solving the so-called “Indian problem”, Tousilum and his family were forced to leave the lands they had stewarded since time immemorial. In our culture hereditary names are passed down over the generations; the names tie us to the lands, resources and ceremonies we belong to. In following with that tradition, the name was passed down …

The community of Salt Spring Island gathered together today with elders and members of the Penelakut Tribe who hosted an open invitation event in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. Spune’luxutth elders shared personal stories of residential school and the harm the experience caused them, their families and their communities. They also spoke about the need for reconciliation and the importance of re-securing lands on Salt Spring Island to support the protection and preservation of their culture. Penelakut Costal Blood Singers opened and closed the gathering from the end of Fernwood Dock with man…

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created through a legal settlement between Residential Schools Survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and the parties responsible for creation and operation of the schools: the federal government and the church bodies. The TRC’s mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools. The TRC documented the truth of Survivors, their families, communities and anyone personally affected by the residential school experience. This included First Nations, Inuit and Métis former residential school students, their families, communities, the churches, former school employees, government officials and other Canadians. The TRC concluded its mandate in 2015 and transferred its records to the safekeeping of National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). Work of the TRC The TRC carried out extensive research, including hearing from Residential Survivors, their f…

September 30, known as Orange Shirt Day and now observed as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a time for reflection, education, and action. This day honors the survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities, and recognizes the ongoing impacts of these institutions on Indigenous Peoples across Canada. The CRD is committed to fostering a community that respects and upholds the rights and cultures of Indigenous Peoples. We acknowledge the profound harm inflicted upon Indigenous peoples by Canada's residential schools and the ongoing impacts and intergenerational trauma that persist within Indigenous communities. The Kuper Island Indian Residential School, located on Kuper Island (now known as Penelakut Island), operated from 1890 to 1975. According to information obtained from the BC Archives, children who attended this school experienced profound isolation from their communities and traumatic separation from their families. They were forbi…

Indigenous people on and off reserve in B.C. will have access to approximately 1,600 new affordable rental homes through partnerships between the Province, through BC Housing, and Indigenous non-profit housing providers. “Around 1,600 culturally appropriate homes will soon become places of comfort and stability for many Indigenous people throughout B.C. who face a greater need for affordable housing,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “These additional homes are part of our ongoing reconciliation work to ensure that Indigenous people are provided the resources and services to thrive in the communities they call home. With collective support from partners, we are better able to deliver housing that meets people’s needs.” The second set of homes selected through the Building BC: Indigenous Housing Fund (IHF) includes 41 on- and off-reserve projects that will provide 1,662 affordable rental homes. It includes 667 on-reserve homes for First Nations members and 995 off-re…

I was speaking last week with James Charlie, chair of the Penelakut Sulxwe’en (Elders Group). James and his siblings were forced as children to attend the residential school on Kuper Island, just north of Salt Spring, now known by its original name Spune’luxutth or Penelakut Island. James has given testimony numerous times of his experiences at the school, including at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and his brother Raymond (Tony) Charlie has spoken at the Salt Spring Library to launch his book, “In the Shadow of the Red Brick Building.” Today, they continue to advocate for survivors and for increased awareness among the non-Indigenous public about the horrors experienced by children at the Kuper Island Industrial School and at other residential schools across Canada. They also feature in the recent CBC podcast “Kuper Island” and in the 1997 film documentary “Kuper Island: Return to the Healing Circle” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f-1v5mzFjI In 2020, foll…

As National Indigenous Peoples Day approaches on June 21, those of us living on unceded First Nation territories can take the opportunity to learn more about the history of the land and the people who have lived here since time immemorial. Learning some of the island’s Indigenous placenames is one step toward recognizing and respecting the rich heritage of the local First Peoples. If you live on the north end of the island, you can say that you live up near P’q’unup. If you are travelling south to Ruckle Park, you are going down to ȾESNOEN or (S)ts’usna’um’. And now the Salt Spring Historical Society and Archives has unveiled an online, interactive First Nations Placenames Map which provides not only the names of significant locations in the SENĆOŦEN and Hul’q’umi’num’ languages but also audio recordings by Elders ȻOSINIYE (Lindy Elliott) and Luschiim (Arvid Charlie), allowing users to hear the correct pronunciations and practice using them. To further your knowledge, cli…

Transition Salt Spring is excited to announce an upcoming online webinar titled, "Climate, Culture, Land: Cultivating Community Resilience through Indigenous Approaches." This event will take place on Tuesday, June 18th at 7:00 PM (PST) and aims to raise funds for the Stqeeye' Learning Society. During the webinar, attendees will hear from Sulsameethl (Deb George) and her granddaughter Sulatiye’ (Maiya Modeste). They will share the inspiring restoration projects at Xwaaqw’um, where traditional knowledge is passed down through vibrant land-based learning programs. They will delve into the rich history of the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) in Xwaaqw'um (Burgoyne Bay), the multigenerational impact of being expelled from their territory after contact, and the journey that led to a return to the land of their ancestors. You will also have a chance to hear about a serendipitous opportunity to acquire a 10-acre sanctuary. A Journey of Restoration The Stqeeye’ Learning Society’s initia…

New funding for B.C.’s Path Forward Community Fund will support Indigenous-led solutions to violence against women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and promote community safety, capacity building and self determination in addressing systemic causes of gender-based violence. “Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people experience disproportionately high rates of violence. Understanding and addressing the underlying causes of this violence is crucial to our efforts to keep people safe and achieve meaningful and lasting reconciliation,” said Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “Part of our commitment to this is ensuring that Indigenous communities have the resources they need to develop and lead culturally safe and appropriate solutions.” With this $5 million in new funding through the National Plan to end Gender-based Violence, government has invested $15.84 million into the Path Forward Community Fund since 2022. The fund is managed by th…

It’s spring, and every day brings new arrivals from the south, especially at Xwaaqw’um, one of the birdiest spots on Salt Spring, which has a little bit of everything. As very recent settlers here, my family and I were immediately drawn to the valley and bay, sandwiched between the cooler, moist forested north-facing slope and the warm oak savannah and drier fir hillsides beneath the towering cliff of Hwmet’utsum (meaning “bent over place”, from a Quw’utsun – Cowichan – creation story about the Narrows). It was springtime then, and quickly the presence of several bird species at risk signaled that we were in a special spot. Olive-sided Flycatchers sang from the tops of the old growth firs, Band-tailed Pigeons bass-cooed from the thicker canopied trees, Common Nighthawks patrolled the air column high above the valley where their insect food rises to on warm days, and Barn Swallows urgently chased us as we approached the barns where they were nesting. Three vireo, four woodpecker…

A growing desire to collaborate and build relationships with local First Nations led to a funny, informative and often emotional presentation to 81 members of the Garden Club last week, as they hosted members of the Stqeeye’ Learning Society team to talk about the nature restoration work Stqeeye’ is doing at Xwaaqw’um (Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park). The evening began with a premier of Stqeeye’s new video “Camas” (see below), which describes the millennia-long relationship between the Quw’utsun people and the camassia plant that was one of their staple foods. The video was followed by Maiya Modeste, Stqeeye’s Garry Oaks Ecosystem Coordinator, presenting her aspirational “menu” of native foods, as they might be prepared once her restoration work brings them back to the mountain slopes and valleys they once covered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTnBSYayhU Maiya was followed by biologist Rachel Bevington, Stqeeye’s Wetlands Coordinator, who shared the exciting progress o…

WALKING TOGETHER - Stqeeye’ Presents to Probus Members at Xwaaqw’um The sun came out for a beautiful presentation by the Stqeeye’ Learning Society, near the water in Xwaaqw’um (Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park) on Tuesday morning. Brianna Thorne, Education Coordinator, presented alongside her daughter Sulatiye’ (Maiya Modeste), the P’hwulhp (Garry Oak) Restoration Project Coordinator, detailing both the history of the Quw’utsun people on Salt Spring Island and Stqeeye’s history as a fast-growing organization doing land and wetlands restoration work in Xwaaqw’um village area. The presentation was well attended by members of the Salt Spring chapter of the Probus Club, a volunteer-based, non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian fellowship organization with over 4,000 clubs worldwide that provides fellowship, friendship, and fun for those in their retirement and semi-retirement years. Probus Member Heather Neville, an avid birder, gave a moving land acknowledgement to start the c…