W̱SÁNEĆ

• WSANEC, Wsanec

Unadapted borrowing from Saanich W̱SÁNEĆ.

W̱SÁNEĆ sg or pl

1. Synonym of Saanich.
   • 2020 October 26, Kate Korte and Alec Lazenby, “W̱SÁNEĆ nations hold solidarity blockade for Mi’kmaw fishers”, in The Martlet‎^[1]:

     “Everything that we need is provided for us by our environment,” a W̱SÁNEĆ elder said. “Whether it’s food, medicine, plants, whether it’s our fisheries … as saltwater peoples it’s really important to come together.”

   • 2023 July 29, Courtney Dickson, “Archaeological dig uncovers remnants of W̱SÁNEĆ village dating back more than 1,000 years”, in CBC News‎^[2]:

     An archaeological dig on southern Vancouver Island has uncovered remnants from an ancient W̱SÁNEĆ (wh-say-nutch) village, dating back centuries.

   • 2024 November 22, Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood, “As commercial herring fishery looms, W̱SÁNEĆ hereditary chiefs try to protect ‘last gasp’ of the fish in Salish Sea”, in The Narwhal‎^[3]:

     With B.C.’s commercial herring fishery set to open in the Strait of Georgia on Sunday, Nov. 24, W̱SÁNEĆ hereditary chiefs are urgently trying to get a meeting with the federal government to get a moratorium in place.

   • 2025 June 30, Jeff Bell, “Grants support W̱SÁNEĆ environmental projects, work with youth”, in Times Colonist‎^[4]:

     A non-profit group is using a pair of community grants from the Victoria Foundation to restore ecosystems in W̱SÁNEĆ territory and support its work with youth.

From W̱- (locative prefix) +‎ SÁ¸NEĆ (“to recline”). Commonly translated as “the emerging people”, based on an oral narrative of surviving through a great flood.

W̱SÁNEĆ (Americanist spelling xʷsénəč)

1. Saanich people
2. traditional Saanich territory
   1. (by extension) Saanich (a district municipality on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada)

To specifically refer to the traditional territory, Á¸LEṈENEȻ TŦE W̱SÁNEĆ (or simply Á¸LEṈENEȻ (“homeland”)) is used.

• Timothy Montler (2018), SENĆOŦEN: A Dictionary of the Saanich Language‎^[5], electronic edition, Victoria, BC: W̱SÁNEĆ School Board, page 786