New signage on Vancouver Island's Wild Pacific Trail honours Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ elders

2 week_ago 13

British Columbia

New signs in Vancouver Island's Wild Pacific Trail purpose to honour 2 Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ elders who made important contributions to preserving connection in the Ucluelet First Nation.

Bob and Vi Mundy were pillars successful the Ucluelet First Nation, accidental household members

Santana Dreaver · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 9:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

An older antheral and pistillate who are beingness partners grin into the camera, connected a vessel with h2o and mountains successful the background.

New interpretive signs in Vancouver Island's Wild Pacific Trail purpose to honour 2 Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ elders who made important contributions to preserving connection in the Ucluelet First Nation.

Bob and Vi Mundy were known as active members of the assemblage successful Ucluelet, fostering galore semipermanent friendships, said niece Jeneva Touchie. They both passed distant last year.

Touchie is the manager of connection services with the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, and had a portion successful making the caller interpretive signs on the Ancient Cedars conception of the fashionable trail.

"They were truly beardown culturally, they were longtime residents of Ucluelet and pioneers successful guiding the federation successful sharing knowledge," Touchie told CBC's On The Island.

A pistillate smiles into the camera successful beforehand of an audio bix.

Bob Mundy was 1 of the fewer fluent speakers of Nuučaan̓uɫ left successful the community, portion Vi helped make the language's written form. The Mundys and Touchie worked unneurotic connected roadworthy signs successful Ucluelet, translating English to Nuučaan̓uɫ.

People stitchery successful the forest, looking astatine a caller memorial plaque.

Touchie said a plaque and audio container that features Nuučaan̓uɫ can beryllium recovered connected the trail, located connected the westbound seashore of Vancouver Island.

"Language is important due to the fact that we person truthful fewer fluent speakers that remain, it's truly large to person a municipality that embraces having connection around," Touchie said. "Even though galore don't understand, it inactive allows america to consciousness that we're astatine home, successful our space."

In a statement, Ucluelet Mayor Marilyn McEwen said the signs connection "a meaningful accidental for some residents and visitors to link much profoundly with the land, its history, and the taste cognition that continues to signifier it."

The Mundy household is blessed with the memorial, said Touchie.

"It's truly bully to beryllium capable to honour them, and cherish each the cognition they were truthful consenting to share."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Santana Dreaver is simply a Saulteaux and Plains Cree writer based successful Vancouver. She was raised successful bluish Saskatchewan and is simply a subordinate of Mistawasis Nehiyawak. She has a inheritance successful governmental subject and reports connected Indigenous affairs, civilization and governance.

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