Led by the Tsawout First Nation, the University of Victoria's 2023 archaeology summer field school will conduct the first research-focused archaeological project in the Cordova Bay
area, which was originally a teeming centre of life for the people living in an Indigenous village called ȾEL ̧IȽĆE. The fieldwork will map the footprint of the village and surrounding areas
using ground penetrating radar and archaeological soil probing techniques, as well as careful exploratory excavations, while bringing SENĆOŦEN language, oral history, and local knowledge into
the research. The project aims to recognize and uplift all the incredible stories attached to the place and to reconnect people to the land and water.