Monday May 15, 2023 | VIEW ROYAL, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Last week, Grade 4 and 5 students from Craigflower Elementary in View Royal were welcomed to the beach at Craigflower-Kosapsom Park to learn about TL’Ches Spirit, West Shore RCMP’s traditional Indigenous Canoe.
The 35-foot Pacific Dancer canoe boasts traditional Indigenous artwork and is used by the West Shore RCMP Indigenous Policing Unit for community and cultural events.
TL’Ches is a Lekwungen word which means island, specifically referring to the Chatham Islands, which is the location of a former Songhees Nation village site. Craigflower-Kosapsom Park located on the Gorge Waterway, is also a former Esquimalt Nation village site. This canoe session was in preparation for the students to engage in future canoeing on TL’Ches Spirit and it’s important for the students to understand the history and significance of the area.
“As Skipper of the canoe, I am responsible for the safety of those on board, but I also have a responsibility to uphold traditional cultural teachings,” say the RCMP in a news release today.
These teachings allow students to understand how their involvement with TL’Ches Spirit connects them to TL’Ches, Sta’Qeya (pronounced Stah-Kay-Ah Lekwungen word for wolf), and to Songhees Elder Sellemah, who was the last Songhees community member to live on TL’Ches (Island), said Cst. Cole Brewer of the West Shore RCMP Indigenous policing unit.
Craigflower-Kosapsom Park is located at Admirals Road at Gorge Road West. Nearby Craigflower Elementary is at 2766 Admirals Rd.