T'Sou-ke First Nation

The word ''T'Sou-ke'' is an anglicisation derived from the T'Sou-ke word for the Stickleback fish of the area. The older anglicised version of the word, as well as the name of the town is Sooke. The latter may be from the Klallam form or a relic of an earlier Northern Straits pronunciation. The current Saanich () form is , pronounced . Alternate anglicisations have included Soke, Sok, Tsohke, and Sock. == Language ==

The language of T'Sou-ke Nation was historically the T'Sou-ke dialect (; ) of the Northern Straits Salish language. Along with the T'Sou-ke, varieties of Northern Straits are spoken by the Lekwungen, Saanich (), Semiahmoo, Lummi, and Samish peoples. Today, the T'Sou-ke teach the Saanich dialect. Gordon Planes, chief of T'Sou-ke Nation from 2007 to 2024 stated, "At one time all our people spoke the language and it was not English. It was , the language that we share with our neighbours at Scia'new and others around Victoria and Saanich." ==History==

The Sooke tribe of Straits Salishans were nearly annihilated in a combined attack of the Cowichans, Clallums and Nitinahts launched about 1848. The people were exposed to Europeans relatively early by association with the Hudson's Bay Company. The nation is a signatory to the Douglas Treaties. When British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, the Province did not recognize Aboriginal title and no further treaties were made. However, "the Province did accept the rights of Aboriginal people as written in the Canadian Constitution and recognized the federal government’s authority to make laws for Aboriginal people and their lands." Accordingly, the existing reserves were allotted by the Joint Reserve Commission in 1877. Treaty negotiations T'Sou-ke Nation is represented, along with four other Coast Salish First Nations, by the Te'mexw Treaty Association along with four other Coast Salish First Nations. They entered the B.C. treaty process in 1995. On 26 February 2013 T'Sou-ke Nation and the province of British Columbia signed an Incremental Treaty Agreement (ITA). An ITA is a legally-binding pre-treaty agreement negotiated between the province of British Columbia and First Nations at a treaty negotiation table. ITAs are intended to build trust among the parties, create incentives to reach further milestones and provide increased certainty over land and resources. The province reports that "negotiations are making steady progress and have successfully resolved a number of difficult issues that include governance, land, resources and fiscal matters." The negotiations are at stage 4, Agreement-in-Principle. The Te'mexw Treaty Association reports that the ITA is a multi-year agreement that includes the transfer of two side-by-side 60-hectare parcels of Crown land located at Broom Hill within the nation's traditional territory in the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area. The land transfers are intended to provide the T'Sou-ke Nation with forestry and light industrial development opportunities that support employment and new sources of revenue. The lands will be held in fee simple by the T'Sou-ke Nation, under a First Nation-designated company, and will be subject to the same federal and provincial laws and municipal bylaws and regulations as with any other privately held property. == Governance ==

T'Sou-ke Nation is governed by the chief and two councillors elected every two years under the Indian Act election system. In February 2014, Chief Gordon Planes was re-elected for his fourth term since 2008. Councillors are Rose Dumont and Bonnie Arden. At the regional level, T'Sou-ke Nation is represented by the Naut'sa mawt Tribal Council, where Chief Planes currently serves as secretary. ==Social and economic development==

Community goals In 2008, "guided by the ancestral custom of looking ahead seven generations, the community prepared a vision with four goals: self-sufficiency in energy and food, economic independence – or as Chief Planes has said, 'No more living off the dole' – and a return to traditional ways and values." Health care services T'Sou-ke Nation Health Centre, Medical professionals visit the community regularly. Energy efficiency in homes Energy-saving measures were also taken in the homes of community members, such as extra roof insulation, new appliances to replace obsolete ones, and energy-saving light bulbs. In 2008, the Ladybug Garden and Greenhouse was started to harvest fresh produce and herbs for the community, as well as a means to preserve native plants and knowledge about how to find them. ==References==