Songhees Nation secures funding for marine trail tours that will highlight culture, history

By the time B.C.can accept visitors again with open arms, the Songhees Nation plans to be running a new tourism venture on southern Vancouver Island that will give people the opportunity to explore the history and culture of itspeople by boat.

The nation has received $630,000 from the provincial government to develop an Indigenous marine trail along Greater Victoria's shoreline.

The trail will include 12 cultural and recreational sites that are significant to the Lekwungen-speaking peoples. Tourists will travel in a near-eight metre-long vessel from Esquimalt, through the Inner Harbour, along the Victoria and Oak Bay waterfront and up to Cadboro Bay.

"There's so many stories that could be told about the land and the history of the people and what we used to use the lands for," saidCecilia Dick, the Songhees Nation'scultural tourism supervisor, during an interview on CBC's All Points West.

• Click here for more stories from CBC Victoria

The region is the traditional territory of theLekwungen People, known today as the Songhees and Esquimaltnations, who have hunted and gathered there for thousands of years.

The tour will include visits to traditionally used islands, the Songhees' last known village site, and the nation's wellness centre.

"When it's safe, we welcome everybody who wants to learn," said Dick.

The plan is to have tours up and running by 2022.