A campground and park off the Pat Bay Highway between Sidney and the ferry terminal has been renamed to reflect its significance in Indigenous culture.
The former McDonald Campground, which covers about 20 hectares and 49 sites and features towering stands of Douglas fir, is now known as SMONEĆTEN (pronounced smaw nitch tun), which means “fir pitch place.”
Four hand-carved cedar panels and an interpretive display have been installed at the campground, showing how the site was once a place to gather liquid pitch, or sap, from Douglas fir trees to start fires, patch canoes, heal wounds and light lanterns.
The panels were crafted by carvers from the four First Nations on the Saanich Peninsula: Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tseycum and Tsawout.
Tsartlip Chief Don Tom, also chairman of the WSÁNEĆ Leadership Council, which includes the Tsartlip, Tseycum and Tsawout First Nations, said the campground is in the heart of WSÁNEĆ territory, next to an old village site.
“SMONEĆTEN is a place where people would go to harvest the materials they needed to thrive,” said Tom. “As these places were taken from WSÁNEĆ people, new names were placed on the landscape and our presence in the eyes of settlers was diminished. But within WSÁNEĆ culture, this information was never forgotten.
Tom said the nation “held it tight to our chest, waiting for people to listen once again. I am proud to see the government begin the process of listening by taking these small steps toward preserving and honouring WSÁNEĆ culture and history.”
The campground has been under federal jurisdiction in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve since 2003. The stretch of forest was initially donated to the province in 1948 by MLA Alexander McDonald, who will continue to be recognized through an onsite plaque.
Jonathan Wilkinson, federal minister of environment and climate change and minister responsible for Parks Canada, said in a statement the renaming of the campground will help Canadians appreciate local Indigenous culture, and “ensure WSÁNEĆ community members of all ages see their culture and language reflected back on these lands of enduring significance.”
Parks Canada said it will resume public programs such as learn-to-camp sessions and evening campfires, often led by local Indigenous presenters, when it is safe to do so.
Tom said the leadership council also worked to rename John Dean Provincial Park to ȽÁU,WELNEW (pronounced Tlay-will-nook), translated as “a place of refuge,” in May 2019.
