land Acknowledgement
We at the Brentwood Bay Resort respectfully acknowledge we live, work, and play in W̱SÁNEĆ territory.
Who are the W̱SÁNEĆ?
Who are the W̱SÁNEĆ?
W̱SÁNEĆ, origin of the name, Saanich, refers to the W̱SÁNEĆ people whose traditional territory was centered around what is known today as the Saanich Peninsula and what are known now as the Southern Gulf Islands, The American San Juan Islands, including Point Roberts on the mainland. At the time of contact with Europeans, the main villages were perceived as ȾȺUTW̱, JOȽEȽP, W̱SÍḴEM and BOḰEĆEN. Anglosized as Tsawout, Tsartlip, Tseycum and Poquachin. Since W̱SÁNEĆ people had permanent winter villages and temporary summer villages, and since W̱SÁNEĆ people were nomadic in this sense, common knowledge of their village sites is limited to this orientation of W̱SÁNEĆ homeland.
The ocean as a part of their homeland
W̱SÁNEĆ people also view the ocean as a part of their homeland, as much as they did the land. An early teaching recounts a time when the tide rose until their entire homeland was submerged. Their canoes anchored to an arbutus tree high on a mountain and floating above their homeland, they endured a long time of uncertainty and rough weather. When the waters receded and the land reemerged, the people took the name W̱SÁNEĆ, “the Emerging People.” This story affirms an honoured relationship with the land and sea. The survivors gathered in prayer and thanked the arbutus tree vowing it a place of distinction in Saanich culture.
the W̱SÁNEĆ life cycle
From early Spring to ĆENQÁLES, the full heat of summer, there were many berries to pick, including Salmon berries, strawberries and salal. There was also an abundance of shellfish to harvest and many types of seaweed. This is also a time the Saanich Inlet would host female whales which arrived to calf, turning Brentwood Bay into a kind of nursery. Often whales would stay for a few weeks because of the abundance of food, and calm waters which acted like a shelter. With the season change, ĆENIȾEȽOṈSET, the earth’s cooling, came major and smaller runs of spring, coho and chum salmon. Harvests and catches were processed and stored for the winter, preserving done primarily drying and smoking techniques. This is also when W̱SÁNEĆ people returned from traditional fishing sites to where ever their winter homes stood in their homeland.
PEKELÁNEW̱ is the month when the leaves turn colour. Hunting, shell fish harvesting and limited fishing would continue late into the fall season. W̱ESELÁNEW̱, shaker of the leaves, begins ĆENȾOȽEṈ, when the earth becomes cold and families were well settled into their lives at home. This is a time for winter ceremonies, storytelling and work on baskets, mats, canoes and tools. At this time of year, W̱SÁNEĆ people saw less of their relatives, the tribes who lived both south and west of them. So, at the end of the busy seasons, Goodbyes were said to their family and friends with a deeper seriousness.
This was the W̱SÁNEĆ life cycle, lived with love and respect for all living things, including each other, others, plants, animals, land and sea.
When PEPKIYOS, or snowberries, bloomed into pink flowers, the first of the Salmon species began arriving in the straits, bays, and inlets. When the berries were full, the last Salmon season began. PEPKIYOS is a natural antibacterial and when the flowers are added to warm water, the infused water is a good hand and tool cleanser while preparing food. Crushing the fully developed berries is good for the same purpose.
DAḴE, or salal berries, are finished this time of year, but the stems and leaves had several uses. The stems, for instance, were bunched together for a whisk.
summer solstice
June 21st, the Summer Solstice is the day the sun reaches the highest point in the sky, creating the longest period of daylight and the shortest night of the year.
For the W̱SÁNEĆ people, whose seasonal knowledge is deeply tied to the rhythms of the sea and land, this time of year aligns with teachings about living in reciprocity with nature. The season reminds people to take only what is needed, give thanks for what is received, and ensure the resources remain for future generations.
June 21 also holds significance as National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. The date was intentionally chosen because many Indigenous cultures have long recognized the summer solstice as a time of celebration, gathering, and ceremony.
The idea of a national day recognizing First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples emerged through Indigenous leadership during the constitutional and reconciliation discussions of the late twentieth century. A key moment occurred in 1982 when the National Indian Brotherhood, now known as the Assembly of First Nations, called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidarity Day. In 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien officially proclaimed June 21 as National Aboriginal Day.
For us, at Brentwood Bay Resort, we pause on this day to listen and learn with deep gratitude that we live, work and play in W̱SÁNEĆ territory.
Life as a W̱SÁNEĆ person...
..was lived finely tuned to the seasons. They were constant students to every subtle change in weather all year round. Guided by the tides, moon cycle and other living rhythms of the land and sea, names concerning time and place reflect their relationship with their home and these cyclical changes. ĆEN₭I,LES, the season of the Earth’s reawakening, brought herring and other fish, the first shoots of spring and calmer waters. Families readied gear and canoes, hunted deer and elk, harvested shellfish, and fished halibut, cod and other bottom fish. Late spring through to the fall included SX̱OLE, or reef nets, at traditional sites between islands. SX̱OLE are a technically sophisticated and cooperative reef-net fishing technique for Salmon.
SENĆOŦEN
SENĆOŦEN is the original language of this emerging land. You can learn more about this language, explore community-managed resources and keyboard tools via FirstVoices, and learn about local education programs through the W̱SÁNEĆ School Board.
Reconciliation starts with learning and participating. We encourage everyone to explore trusted resources, listen to community voices, and act with respect, consent, and care of the land and water we now occupy. Please visit https://wsanec.com.