The Songhees Nation app is now availablenow availablefree to downloadon iPhone and Androidin your pocket

The Songhees Nation are lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen, pronounced le-KWUNG-en) people. The name refers to both the people and their language, and means "place to smoke herring." The Nation notes that "Songhees" is a name others gave them. At the time of the 1850 Douglas Treaties, Lekwungen territory ran from Albert Head to Cordova Bay on Vancouver Island and included San Juan and Henry Islands, which are now part of the United States.

The Nation's main reserve sits beside Esquimalt and View Royal, about five kilometres from Victoria. In 1911 the Songhees were moved from Victoria to reserve land outside the city. Today the Nation holds four reserves, totalling 138.1 hectares:

• New Songhees 1A
• Halkett Island
• Chatham Islands
• Discovery Island

Lekwungen values shape practices such as naming, witnessing and cedar bark collection. The Lekwungen language is a dialect of North Straits Salish. Its last fluent speaker died in 1993, and the Bringing Lekwungen Back to Life program has worked to revitalize the language since 2018. Each September the Nation hosts the South Island Powwow in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The Songhees Wellness Centre was mostly paid for with the Nation's own First Nations Goods and Services Tax revenue. It is a hub for community life, with a kitchen, fitness centre, gift shop, health clinic and elder club. The Nation's economic development corporation oversees 10 businesses, commercial properties and development land. In 2025, Ron Sam was elected Chief for a four-year term. Learn more at songheesnation.ca.