A 35-foot Pacific Dancer Canoe belonging to Elder Joan Morris, whose traditional name is Sellemah, the last of Songhees Nation to live on Chatham Island, is now used by the West Shore RCMP Indigenous Policing Unit.
"The tradition of passing on Indigenous teachings is what inspired us to start this canoes program," said West Shore RCMP Cst. Cole Brewer, a member of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band.
TL'Ches is a Lekwungen word meaning 'Island'. The RCMP uses the canoe to connect with youth around the West Shore and operates no matter the weather conditions.
"Every time we take a group out on TL'Ches Spirit, we provide a cultural briefing which allows the participants to understand the history and significance of the area." he said.
The canoe is inscribed with traditional Songhees carvings with a stqéyə (wolf) on the front of the boat.
Chatham Island, which is a kilometre off the coast of Oak Bay, is part of the Songhees First Nation and is not open to the public.
The canoe is used by the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations to connect Indigenous youths with their ancestry and has expanded to include all young people.
"We had the wolf out on the islands a few years ago. A lot of community members believed that is part of the spirit of the late Chief Robert Sam," Brewer said.
