Future trajectory
The history of the Lekwungen people and recent processes of settler colonialism are deeply inscribed into the landscape of Meegan and Beacon Hill Park. The novel ecological composition and dynamics of the site’s Garry oak meadows reflect this history of the land being used as part of a food system and as a recreational greenspace for settler populations. These divergent uses of the site and understandings of its history are also reflected in the different approaches to land management adopted by groups such as the City of Victoria and the Community Tool Shed. One might expect that the future trajectory of this site will continue to reflect the trajectory of the relationship of the Lekwungen people and settler society.
Many of the changes that have occurred since British colonization are likely to leave a lasting legacy on the land. However, these lasting impacts would not necessarily preclude the reinstatement of the Garry oak ecology as part of the Lekwungen food system. Reinstatement of the Kwetlal food systems would be aided by recognition of the rightful Lekwungen title to the land, and by a decolonized relationship between indigenous and settler societies in Canada. However, the Lekwungen practice of maintaining the Kwetlal system do not need wait for such a decolonized relationship to occur, as the Community Tool Shed is demonstrating. Indeed, practices of Lekwungen land management can act as a powerful expression of indigenous cultural resurgence that could serve as a catalyst for broader processes of decolonization and the eventual emergence of a more just and right relationship between and settler society, the Lekwungen people, and the Lekwungen homelands.
Many of the changes that have occurred since British colonization are likely to leave a lasting legacy on the land. However, these lasting impacts would not necessarily preclude the reinstatement of the Garry oak ecology as part of the Lekwungen food system. Reinstatement of the Kwetlal food systems would be aided by recognition of the rightful Lekwungen title to the land, and by a decolonized relationship between indigenous and settler societies in Canada. However, the Lekwungen practice of maintaining the Kwetlal system do not need wait for such a decolonized relationship to occur, as the Community Tool Shed is demonstrating. Indeed, practices of Lekwungen land management can act as a powerful expression of indigenous cultural resurgence that could serve as a catalyst for broader processes of decolonization and the eventual emergence of a more just and right relationship between and settler society, the Lekwungen people, and the Lekwungen homelands.