Indigenous name sought for island landmark

SAANICH, B.C. – Members of the Saanich First Nation on Vancouver Island will march to the summit of a Victoria-area landmark, to back demands for restoration of the mountain’s indigenous name.

The Wsanec Nation wants Mount Douglas, the 213-metre high mountain about 10 kilometres north of Victoria, to return to its traditional name of Pkols.

Hereditary chief Eric Pelkey says the area is sacred to the Saanich people and has been linked to its stories and history for tens of thousands of years.

He says it is also the site where the Saanich First Nation signed its original treaty with James Douglas in 1852.

Pelkey says Europeans quickly violated terms of that treaty by ignoring promises not to interfere with the Saanich people.

He says the First Nation is now acting on a long-held wish to reclaim the Pkols name, and the action has the support of a wide variety of groups and community leaders, ranging from linguist Noam Chomsky to Greenpeace, the Council of Canadians and AIDS Vancouver Island.

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