The University of Victoria has chosen a new banner design to be displayed on light standards across campus to honour their relationships with the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands.
Last year, on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, UVic permanently raised the ‘Survivors’ Flag’ to recognize all survivors of residential schools in Canada.
In doing so, the university decommissioned the over 215 banners which had been displayed across campus in response to the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation’s discovery of more than 215 unmarked graves at the Kamloops Residential School site in 2021.
Now, they have replaced the previous banners with 48 newly designed banners, with a fresh and modern design.
The new banner design was created by internationally renowned Lək̓ʷəŋən master carver and artist Dr. Clarence “Butch” Dick.
On them, Dr. Dick depicts the creation story of the Lək̓ʷəŋən Nation.
According to him, the symbols related to the origin story include the eagle and the orca, which can be seen on the new design.
The eagle is meant to embody peace and friendship, where the orca is a symbol of longevity, protection and family.
UVic says that together, the orca and eagle symbols reflect the university’s journey, from a colonial institution to one that strives helping one another to move.
“The concept… is a contemporary approach to the traditional and powerful symbols of the eagle and a killer whale,” said Dr. Dick.
“Culturally, the orca is part of the emergence story of the wolf people. It is said that our peoples’ existence came from the killer whale, to sea wolf, and then to wolf, with the eagle as the powerful messenger sharing this part of our People’s history.”
UVic hopes that the banners will also serve as a reminder to the campus’ community to think about the relationships—ones to protect, ones to embrace and new connections to aspire to.
“The installation of Butch Dick’s banners supports and honours our commitment to ʔetalnəw̓əl̓| ÁTOL,NEUEL | respecting the rights of one another and being in right relationship with all things by including Indigenous artwork and symbolism on our campus,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Kevin Hall.
“The banners depict the teachings and learnings of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples and demonstrate our commitment to creating a warm, welcoming and respectful environment that is accepting of diversity and inclusive of Indigenous ways of knowing and being.”
UVic says it is important to them to honor their commitments to local Nations by creating spaces and initiatives that reflect Indigenous values, cultures and histories.
They do this by displaying Indigenous artwork like these banners throughout campus and by naming new and existing buildings using local First Nations’ languages.
