With Indigenous names becoming increasingly commonplace in the Sooke School District, could the name of the entire district itself soon change?
Speaking at the Aug. 14 name announcement for SCIANEW STELITKEL, the under-construction elementary school in the south of Langford, superintendent Scott Stinson said the district has work to do when it comes to recognizing Indigenous languages.
“It reminds me as you speak about language and the importance of language at how poor we have done in our schools in relation to Indigenous and traditional languages,” Stinson said. “And so you hear some of us struggling with the name of this new school and traditionally we have anglicized Indigenous names as we think about T’Sou-ke Nation to Sooke and different things. So we are committed to make sure we get this right as we move forward and using this name and honouring the traditions.”
When asked if that meant the school district was de-anglicizing its own name, Amanda Dowhy, interim chair for the Sooke School District board of trustees, said there’s policies in place for name changes.
READ MORE: New south Langford elementary school to be called SCIANEW STELITKEL
“Not everything is up to us at the school district and as the board, there are some things that come through provincial legislation and policies,” Dowhy said. “I would hope as we move forward with our path of reconciliation that we’re going to see more reclamation of traditional names, but it’s not for me to say personally.”
Provincial Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Murray Rankin was also in attendance and pointed to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act as providing a “road map for reconciliation.”
“Every single ministry of the government has a piece of the action and it’s been co-written with Indigenous leadership,” Rankin said. “In that, there are a number of things relating to the reclamation of Indigenous languages.”
Rankin said the province is working with the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and Heritage Canada – which “has an interest in Indigenous languages” – on that process. He also pointed to the appointment of Stsmel̓qen, Ronald E. Ignace, is a member of the Secwepemc Nation in Interior British Columbia
“So I think we can see more of this, but with the cooperation of the local school boards who ask for this, who are to be engaged. The province wants to facilitate, we hope there’s more of this to come, but of course recognizing the responsibility of school boards, that they properly should have.”
READ MORE: Alberni School District renamed ‘Pacific Rim’
In 2019, School District 70 (Alberni) applied to change its name to School District 70 (Pacific Rim), which became official in 2020.
“We are excited by the name change and are pleased that the district name will now reflect the broader geographic region served by the school district,” SD70 superintendent Greg Smyth said in a news release.
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