Signs of Lekwungen - Virtual Reward 3.0 Virtual Cache

Welcome to the Signs of Lekwungen marker series! 

The Songhees and Esquimalt Nations are part of the Coast Salish family and are descendants of the Lekwungen family groups. Lekwungen is the original language of this land.

There are seven markers in total. Each one is identified by a large bronze casting (over 8 feet tall and weighing over 1,000 lbs) of a spindle whorl, which is a device that was traditionally used by Coast Salish women to spin wool.  The spindle whorl was considered the foundation of a Coast Salish family. 

To log this virtual, there are two requirements.  You must meet both requirements to log this virtual. 

FIRST LOGGING REQUIREMENT

Visit any ONE of the seven markers and take a picture of the marker that includes ANY of the following:

• Yourself
• Your geo-family
• Your geo-dog or other geo-pet
• Your GPSr
• Your car keys
• A trackable you own (don't expose the tracking code though!)
• A sign with your cacher name on it. Is this a milestone find? Use that!
• Anything else that identifies the image uniquely as belonging to you.
• If you have previously found GC891DA Voodoo Virtual Reward 2.0 and you used a paper airplane with your cacher name for the required picture in that find, AND if you still have the paper airplane AND it is in frame, AND there is also a real aircraft in frame (The Laurel Point site should not keep you waiting long for the opportunity) then... wow! Your log is probably getting a "Great Story" bump from me!

Attach this picture to your log.

SECOND LOGGING REQUIREMENT

Visit any TWO of the seven markers to learn the answers to these questions and message them to the CO.  You need only visit and answer the questions for two markers to log this find, but I would encourage visiting all seven markers.  Their locations are in the Waypoints of this cache listing.  Answer the following questions for the two you visited.  Yes, you can use the marker you took a picture as one of the two.

Songhees Point

1. What is the traditional name of this site?  For this question and all the others where we ask for the traditional name, you don't have to type all the Lekwungen special characters; the phonetic spelling provided on the monument base will do.
2. What traditionally happened here when Lekwungen infants had learned to walk?
3. Nearby there is an arrangement of concrete abutments.  How many are there?

HBC Bastion Site

This monument recognizes the Lekwungen peoples' relationship with the British colonists.

1. What was the fort that once stood here called before it was called Fort Victoria?
2. Who built the fort?
3. The Old Custom House - a three story mansard roofed edifice to the south of this location - has a plaque in front at the sidewalk.  In what year was this building completed?

City Hall

1. What is the literal English translation of the traditional name for this place?
2. There had been a creek bed here that led to a food gathering area that is today bounded by four city streets.  What four streets are those?
3. (The third question has been removed - until further notice only questions 1 and 2 are needed for this location)

Lower Causeway

1. What is the traditional name of this place?
2. What was once here that was "the best on the coast"?
3. What is the name of the restaurant just north of here on the lower causeway?

Beacon Hill

1. What was the traditional name of this place?
2. What game, similar to field hockey, was played here?
3. What very tall object is behind (northwest of) you?

Royal BC Museum

1. What is the traditional name of this place?
2. Who is the Songhees artist who used the form of a spindle whorl for this sculpture?
3. About 28 metres west of this location is a tower which contains a Carillon; a large musical instrument made of bells.  If you come at the right time of day you may get to hear it play!  On one of the eastern pillars of the tower is a plaque commemorating the carillon's restoration.  What year is on this plaque?

Laurel Point

PLEASE NOTE: At the time this virtual was published the City had temporarily removed this one to renovate the park it lives in.  We had to use colonial/setter-oriented questions and answers for this location.  The monument and its interpretive signage are now back in place, very near the original co-rdinates.  We have updated two of the questions and answers for this location accordingly.  Finds logged prior to October 25, 2025, can submit answers to previous questions.  After that date, you must submit answers to the questions below.

1. The carving here marks a First Nations burial ground.  Small burial shelters with different carved mortuary figures, including human figures, were placed and stood here until which decade?
2. On the left hand side of the intepretive sign, in white letters on blue, is a four-word sentence.  What does it say?
3. The nearby hotel has a restaurant on the ground floor with a large sign made of dots.  What is the name of the restaurant (4 letters)?

Extra bonus bragging rights points if you can snap your required selfie/GPS'ie here with a taxiing floatplane in the background plus the marker!

Please message your answers to the CO to log your find. No need to wait for a response; I will respond to you only if you have comments or questions, or if there is a problem with your answers. I am aware that the logging requirements are a bit burdensome for a virtual; this is why its difficulty is higher. The 1.5 terrain represents the highest terrain rating among the 7 markers; most are T=1. 

All seven monuments are within a two kilometre circle, and some are just a few hundred metres apart.  If you plan to visit all seven, I recommend driving or biking.  I have placed the start coordinates at Beacon Hill solely because that is the one I like best - you don't have to start with that one or even visit it at all!

I will delete logs that:

• Don't include the required photo
• Are not accompanied (within 24 hours) by a private message with the correct answers to the questions for at least two of the markers
• Give away any answers, either in the log text or a picture.

If your log is deleted, you are invited to re-submit your log when you are able to meet the logging requirements.

Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023

This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.