We have made a conscious effort to use appropriate and accessible language wherever possible on this website. Below are few terms that we use along with their definition and, where applicable, our justifications for their use.
Indigenous
- We have made the conscious decision to use the term Indigenous to represent the peoples who inhabited this land prior to, during, and continuing after the settlement of European descendants. Following the legal definition set forth by the government of Canada, this includes First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.
- We recognize the implications of using outdated terms that are explicitly linked to harmful governmental policies and will not further perpetrate their harm by using them.
- We will do our best to refer to each unique Indigenous group as they refer to themselves, but will use Indigenous as the broader nomenclature.
Lekwungen
- The Lekwungen people inhabit what is now known as the Southern part of Vancouver Island.
- The name Songhees, by which they are often called, was a name given to the population by settlers.
Greater Victoria Regional District (GVRD)
- Know as the Capital Regional District, the GVRD is the current regional government for 13 municipalities of more than 377,000 citizens.
- For our purposes, this typically indicates the municipalities in close proximity to downtown Victoria.
DIA
- Acronym or the Department of Indian Affairs, created in 1880 to monitor all dealings with Indigenous peoples.
CEF
- The Canadian Expeditionary Forces were the troops raised by Canada to fight in the First World War. Indigenous soldiers, like John Andrew Beynon enlisted to fight with the CEF.