The fourth annual Sno’uyutth Day celebration event set for Saturday night at The Oaks Restaurant on Oak Bay Avenue has been cancelled.
“This year we have decided, rather than holding a single event on the particular day, to celebrate the spirit of ‘Spreading Good Energy’ throughout the coming year,” said Kris Nichols of the Community Association of Oak Bay. “Thus, there will not be an event Nov. 23 at The Oaks, as previously reported.”
READ MORE: Sno’uyutth Day a time to celebrate in Oak Bay
Sno’uyutth translates from the L’kwungen language as ‘Spreading Good Energy,’ Nichols said.
Cultural liaison Florence Dick of the Songhees Nation was slated to speak about the ongoing efforts for reconciliation on Saturday.
Mayor Kevin Murdoch had declared this Friday, Nov. 22, as Sno’uyutth Day to mark the fourth anniversary of the raising of the Sno’uyutth welcome pole at the entrance to Oak Bay High. Instead of holding a single event, it is CAOB’s plan to work with community partners to promote public conversations and to share and develop the understanding of the meaning and importance of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Organizers said they launched promotion for the Saturday event a bit late and were seeking a bigger response from the community in terms of attendance.
READ MORE: Sno’uyutth Day returns this year, celebrated at The Oaks
The Sno’uyutth Pole was commissioned by the CAOB who raised more than $60,000 and gifted it to the Greater Victoria School District.
The pole is a tribute to the ancestors of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
It was offered in a spirit of collaboration and friendship, as a symbol of respect and reconciliation.
The pole was designed by master carver Butch Dick and carved by his son Clarence Jr. from a 200-year old red cedar log from a tree that had grown in the Jordan River area.
The Rotary Club of Oak Bay administers an annual Sno’uyutth Legacy Scholarship to Indigenous students graduating from Oak Bay High.