The Cowichan First Nation has been identified with the Cowichan Valley for centuries. Cowichan has been variously translated to mean; “Warm Valley”, “Sunny Valley People”, “Basking in the Sun”, and “Valley of the Sun”. An undisputed translation by the experts has not been agreed upon.
The golden background of the burgee represents the sun, the navy blue border represents the water surrounding Vancouver Island where our Squadron is located, the two navy blue stripes on the fly of the pennant represent the two rivers that flow into the Cowichan Bay, (Cowichan River and Koksilah River), the two major bays in the area, (Cowichan Bay and Maple Bay), the two major lakes, (Cowichan Lake and Shawnigan Lake), and an affliation with the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons.
The Orca is native to our waters and it is fitting that the design of the Orca on our burgee be of First Nation origin or Native motif.