Our house sits on the forested southern end of Village Bay Lakes on northern Quadra Island. It’s completely secluded, but only a 20 minute drive into town. The lakes and related watershed are ecologically and geologically exceptional, home to over 72 bird species and 234 plant species, and the return site for thousands of salmon every fall from the ocean. Osprey, eagles, herons, kingfishers, ducks and otters are regular sights on the lakes.
The largest of the Discovery Islands in Canada, Quadra Island sits off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It’s about 22 miles north to south and home to about 2700 people.
Wayward honors the deep relationships of those who have made these very special lands and waters their home - particularly the indigenous peoples whose lives are intertwined with the ecosystems we inhabit and benefit from. Our retreat base on Quadra Island is unceded to colonial nations - so we honor the hereditary territory of the Liǧʷiɫdax̌ʷ (Laich-Kwil-tach) first nations - the We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum, and Kwiakah First Nations - and as well the deep connection our Coast Salish neighbors - the Xwemalhkwu (Homalco), K’omoks (Sathloot) Nations and ƛohos giǰi (Klahoose) - have with these lands and waters. North American colonization has radically changed and harmed so many human and other populations of these coasts we love and call home, with effects of trauma and inequity that continue to reverberate through the generations. We strive to know, name, and work with these harms, and engage in ongoing healing practices in response to them. We strive to learn from First Nations’ integral roles in the plant and animal communities here, historically and currently. We are committed to actively understanding and reworking the colonial culture and policies in place all around us that disconnect humans from the earth, from each other, and from our ancestral gifts, legacies and responsibilities.
To learn more about traditional indigenous territories, visit the Native Land map.