Dual Name Event, June 3, 2019
A celebration of the renaming of ȽÁU,WELṈEW/John Dean Park
Welcome/EWÁ E NE EN SḰEL, ḰEL
“Jarrett, you are on the list of honoured guests so I hope you are there!” – Adam Olsen
The BC Legislature approved Bill 16 – 2019 on May 2nd and 14th, 2019, which added the name ȽÁU,WELNEW to the parks title. The result was a dual name: ȽÁU,WELNEW/John Dean Provincial Park. Royal assent followed on May 16th. On June 3rd, to acclaim this achievement, the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council and BC Parks co-hosted an event at the ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School to acknowledge and celebrate the name addition.
Chiefs, councils, elders, members of: Tseycum/W̱S͸KEM, Pauquachin/BOḰEĆEN, Tsartlip/W̱JOȽEȽP, Tsawout/SȾÁ¸EU¸TW̱, and the classes that petitioned to change the name were all present; plus the Minister of Environment, BC Park Rangers and Friends president, several invited guests were all present (over 150 people). It was a wonderful special time.
Dual Name Addition: the W̱SÁNEĆ mountain name was added to John Dean Park.
ȽÁU,WELNEW/John Dean Provincial Park
ȽÁU,WELNEW is the traditional name for Mount Newton
ȽÁU,WELNEW means Place of Refuge/Escape
ȽÁU,WELNEW is best pronounced as Tlay will nook
You may say – Tlay will nook / John Dean Park
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By Jarrett – am so pleased this has happened. Since my grade 3 (1983-84), I’ve been keenly aware of the sacredness of the mountain atmosphere. A few years later, I worked with BC Parks to bring the traditional trail names into the park: SLEKTAIN, THUNDERBIRD AND ȽÁU,WELNEW were approved, and by spring 1991 new posts and sings were installed by myself (age 16). In 1995, the name Raven Creek was added, and since then I’ve maintained and replaced the posts and signs as needed. The fact that these names were accepted and never touched by anyone is an amazing testament towards the overall long-time acceptance, and now love of these names. Adam Olsen, thank-you so much for properly adding the mountains name to this amazing park.
Thank-you John Dean (1850-1943) for saving your intact property, and for inspiring future land donations to the park which you created in 1921.
HÍ SW̱ KE (thank you)
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CTV News – Students prompt province to add Indigenous name to John Dean Provincial Park
https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?binId=1.1777487 Watch Monday, June 3, 2019, minute 7:12 to 8:18
After a field trip to John Dean Provincial Park, there was one very big question on the minds of one Grade 3 class.
Students from the ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ (pronounced “Tlay-will-nook”) Tribal School wanted to know why the provincial park was not called the name they all knew, ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ (“Tlay-will-nook”).
The North Saanich mountain is known to local First Nations as a “place of refuge.” The students felt a strong connection to the park and wrote a letter requesting the name of the park be changed to include the traditional name of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
Students Jorja Horne and Danaya Sam spoke on behalf of their classmates. “We just wanted to change the name back to ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱,” the two said.
On Monday the students of the ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School celebrated the renaming. The Tribal School class was honoured with a blanketing ceremony, drumming and songs.
“The W̱SÁNEĆ people have always known this place as ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱,” said Tsartlip First Nation Chief Don Tom. “It is where our ancestors found refuge after the Great Flood and it is where we bring our children today to learn our history.”
The park was founded in 1921 and named after Saanich Peninsula settler John Dean. Dean donated the land to the province to protect and preserve the only old growth forest on Southern Vancouver Island.
Maureen Dale of the Friends of John Dean Society says the society fully endorses the naming decision, which recognizes the significance of the mountain to First Nations while retaining the legacy of John Dean’s gift of the park.
“I am honoured to celebrate with the students of ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School as the park and mountain they have known all their lives is acknowledged,” said Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. “By listening to the Indigenous youth in our communities we learn that reconciliation is about acknowledging our past and working together through purposeful acts of kindness and inclusion that benefit us all.”
The name change to ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Park received royal assent on May 16 as part of an amendment to the Protected Areas of B.C. Act. New signage that includes both names will be updated by BC Parks during the coming year.
“Only through a common understanding of the true history of this land can the difficult work of reconciliation begin,” said Tom.
North Saanich park renamed to reflect connections to Indigenous culture
By Brishti Basu – June, 3, 2019
A park in North Saanich that has historical and cultural significance for the island’s Indigenous community will be renamed thanks to the efforts of 4th grade students.
John Dean Provincial Park will soon be called ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Provincial Park (pronounced Tlay-will-nook) to which translates to “place of refuge.”
This change was approved on May 16th after a petition by students from ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School who visited the park and were surprised to find it did not bear the name they know it as.
“The letter from students requesting the name change caused me to reflect on what it means to Indigenous youth to see recognition and respect for their traditions, culture, language and the stories they’re told growing up,” stated George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
“The Indigenous renaming of parks allows our government to take an important step forward in our ongoing reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples throughout British Columbia and find meaningful ways to recognize and respect their culture and connection to protected lands.”
Significance to Indigenous culture
The mountain in the park and its surrounding areas feature prominently in First Nations culture and early descriptions of the mountain mention large rings of white stones placed there by the Saanich people.
According to BC Parks, Lau Wel New, as Mount Newton is known to the First Nations of the Saanich Peninsula, was the high point of land that enabled them to survive the Great Flood.
Legend has it that the Saanich ancestors were able to anchor their canoe until the floodwaters subsided using a giant cedar rope. Lau Wel New was the first land available as the floodwaters receded.
The park was later named “John Dean Provincial Park” after pioneer John Dean donated the first 32 hectares of property for the park in 1921, followed by four other settlers who contributed adjoining lands.
Signage to reflect that the park’s name has been changed to acknowledge its prominence in Indigenous culture will be added in the coming year.
Student ‘warriors’ spark change in park’s name
By Roxanne Egan-Elliott | Times Colonist – June 4, 2019
Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich-North and the Islands, with Danaya Sam and Jorja Horne.
Photograph By ADRIAN LAM, Times Colonist
Students at a Brentwood Bay First Nations school who successfully petitioned to add an Indigenous name to a nearby park show that anyone can be a leader in reconciliation at any age, according to a local First Nations chief.
Chief Don Tom of Tsartlip First Nation addressed a crowd gathered at LÁU,WELNEW Tribal School to celebrate the renaming of John Dean Provincial Park to LÁU,WELNEW/John Dean Park. The Indigenous name, pronounced Tlay-will-nook, means “place of refuge” in SENCOTEN, the language of the WSÁNEC peoples.
“I want them to know that you don’t have to be an older person to be a leader,” Chief Tom said. “We are seeing a wakening of a generation who do not have to wait to be 18 to make change.”
The name change was initiated last spring by a group of students at the school after they visited the mountain on a field trip and were upset to discover it had a different name than the one they know.
“I felt really sad, because I didn’t really like that it was John Dean Provincial Park,” said Grade 4 student Danaya Sam.
Danaya said she told her friends and her teacher that they should change the name.
The students penned handwritten letters calling for the change, and started a petition that collected more than 200 signatures.
George Heyman, minister of environment and climate change strategy, said reading the children’s letters caused him to reflect on the importance of language and tradition.
“If we deny the culture and the history and the language of a place, we, in some ways, deny the existence of the people who remain and who live here,” he said. “We destroy the connection that people need to have with their elders, with their grandparents, with their parents, and ultimately with their children and their grandchildren.”
Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich-North and the Islands and a member of Tsartlip First Nation, supported the students with their petition. Olsen explained to the provincial legislature the significance of the mountain and its name to the WSÁNEC peoples.
WSÁNEC history says that people began to forget the teachings of their creator and a great flood came as a result. As water levels rose and people prayed to survive, a mountain emerged in the distance. People climbed to the top and found safety. They decided to name the mountain LÁU,WELNEW, place of refuge.
Olsen said he often struggles to explain what reconciliation means, saying it’s an ongoing process with people and places.
“There is a deep connection that we have with the places and what they mean to us,” he said.
The decision to combine the SENCOTEN and English names, instead of replacing the previous name, was made to recognize the legacy of John Dean, Olsen said. Dean was a pioneer who donated the park’s land to the province in 1921, which helped to protect the old-growth trees on the land.
“We have a responsibility as we go forward to find positive ways to work together,” Olsen said.
Maureen Dale, president of Friends of John Dean Society, said she was pleased with the renaming decision. She read a statement from John Dean’s descendants who couldn’t attend the ceremony, calling the new name “a shining example” of different groups working together.
Chief Tanya Jimmy of Tseycum First Nation thanked the children for their role in encouraging reconciliation.
“You’re making history today that’s usually done at the leadership level,” she said. “Your young warrior selves are doing it today for us.”
Three provincial parks were renamed last year as part of reconciliation efforts. Brooks Peninsula Park near Port Alice became Mquqwin/Brooks Peninsula Park, Boya Lake Park in northwest B.C. was renamed Ta Ch’ila Park and Roderick Haig-Brown Park near Kamloops became Tsútswecw Provincial Park.
In 2013, a movement to change the name of Mount Douglas to the SENCOTEN name PKOLS began, and unofficial signs with the Indigenous name appeared on the mountain.
reganelliott@timescolonist.com
John Dean Provincial Park renamed to include Indigenous name – June 3, 2019
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2019ENV0025-001109
Students from ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School, along with First Nations Chiefs, Elders and representatives from the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, are celebrating their efforts to have John Dean Provincial Park renamed to include a traditional Indigenous name.
George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, and Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich-North and the Islands, joined the celebrations at ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School. To reflect historical and cultural significance, the park will be renamed ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Park (pronounced Tlay-will-nook), which translates to “place of refuge.” The name change received royal assent on May 16, 2019, as part of an amendment to the Protected Areas of BC Act.
Located in North Saanich, the mountain in the park features prominently in local First Nations culture as a place that helped save people during the Great Flood thousands of years ago. Due to this connection to the park, the students at ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School requested the name change to include the traditional name for the mountain in the language of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. BC Parks will update and add new signage that includes both names during the coming year.
Last year, three provincial parks were renamed as part of reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples. Brooks Peninsula Park near Port Alice was renamed Mquqwin/Brooks Peninsula Park, Boya Lake Park in northwest B.C. was renamed Tā Ch’ilā Park and Roderick Haig-Brown Park near Kamloops was renamed Tsútswecw Provincial Park.
Also this year, the Power River Watershed Protected Area on northern Vancouver Island was renamed the Hisnit River Watershed Protected Area. Hisnit is the traditional name for sockeye in the Che:k’tles7et’h’ language.
Quotes:
George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy —
“The letter from students requesting the name change caused me to reflect on what it means to Indigenous youth to see recognition and respect for their traditions, culture, language and the stories they’re told growing up. The Indigenous renaming of parks allows our government to take an important step forward in our ongoing reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples throughout British Columbia and find meaningful ways to recognize and respect their culture and connection to protected lands.”
Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands and member of Tsartlip First Nation —
“I am honoured to celebrate with the students of ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School as the park and mountain they have known all their lives is acknowledged with its original name ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ in addition to the designation it was assigned in 1921 of John Dean Park. By listening to the Indigenous youth in our communities with open hearts, we learn that reconciliation is about acknowledging our past and working together in a compassionate way through purposeful acts of kindness and inclusion that benefit us all.”
Tsartlip Chief Don Tom, chairman of the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council —
“The W̱SÁNEĆ people have always known this place as ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱. It is where our ancestors found refuge after the Great Flood and it is where we bring our children today to learn our history. The name ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ is woven into our very identity as W̱SÁNEĆ people. With that said, it is a welcome change for the Province to recognize the original name of this place. Only through a common understanding of the true history of this land can the difficult work of reconciliation begin.”
Maureen Dale, president of the Friends of John Dean Society —
“The Friends of John Dean Park Society and several descendants of John Dean who were engaged in the renaming process are delighted with the outcome and fully endorse the final naming decision, which recognizes the significance of the mountain to First Nations while retaining the legacy of John Dean’s gift of the park.”
Learn More:
For more information about ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Park, visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/john_dean/
For more information about the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, visit: https://wsanec.com/
For more information about BC Parks, visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/
John Dean Provincial Park renamed to include Indigenous name
By ahnationtalk – June 3, 2019
VICTORIA – Students from ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School, along with First Nations Chiefs, Elders and representatives from the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, are celebrating their efforts to have John Dean Provincial Park renamed to include a traditional Indigenous name.
George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, and Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich-North and the Islands, joined the celebrations at ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School. To reflect historical and cultural significance, the park will be renamed ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Park (pronounced Tlay-will-nook), which translates to “place of refuge.” The name change received royal assent on May 16, 2019, as part of an amendment to the Protected Areas of BC Act.
Located in North Saanich, the mountain in the park features prominently in local First Nations culture as a place that helped save people during the Great Flood thousands of years ago. Due to this connection to the park, the students at ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School requested the name change to include the traditional name for the mountain in the language of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. BC Parks will update and add new signage that includes both names during the coming year.
Last year, three provincial parks were renamed as part of reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples. Brooks Peninsula Park near Port Alice was renamed Mquqwin/Brooks Peninsula Park, Boya Lake Park in northwest B.C. was renamed Tā Ch’ilā Park and Roderick Haig-Brown Park near Kamloops was renamed Tsútswecw Provincial Park.
Also this year, the Power River Watershed Protected Area on northern Vancouver Island was renamed the Hisnit River Watershed Protected Area. Hisnit is the traditional name for sockeye in the Che:k’tles7et’h’ language.
Quotes:
George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy —
“The letter from students requesting the name change caused me to reflect on what it means to Indigenous youth to see recognition and respect for their traditions, culture, language and the stories they’re told growing up. The Indigenous renaming of parks allows our government to take an important step forward in our ongoing reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples throughout British Columbia and find meaningful ways to recognize and respect their culture and connection to protected lands.”
Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands and member of Tsartlip First Nation — “I am honoured to celebrate with the students of ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ Tribal School as the park and mountain they have known all their lives is acknowledged with its original name ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ in addition to the designation it was assigned in 1921 of John Dean Park. By listening to the Indigenous youth in our communities with open hearts, we learn that reconciliation is about acknowledging our past and working together in a compassionate way through purposeful acts of kindness and inclusion that benefit us all.”
Tsartlip Chief Don Tom, chairman of the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council —
“The W̱SÁNEĆ people have always known this place as ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱. It is where our ancestors found refuge after the Great Flood and it is where we bring our children today to learn our history. The name ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ is woven into our very identity as W̱SÁNEĆ people. With that said, it is a welcome change for the Province to recognize the original name of this place. Only through a common understanding of the true history of this land can the difficult work of reconciliation begin.”
Maureen Dale, president of the Friends of John Dean Society — “The Friends of John Dean Park Society and several descendants of John Dean who were engaged in the renaming process are delighted with the outcome and fully endorse the final naming decision, which recognizes the significance of the mountain to First Nations while retaining the legacy of John Dean’s gift of the park.”
Learn More:
For more information about ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Park, visit:http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/john_dean/
For more information about the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, visit: https://wsanec.com/
For more information about BC Parks, visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/