BCGNIS Query Results

Ksi Gwinhat'alOfficial Name
Pronounced:"say-gwin hat-AH"
Feature Type:River
Latitude:55°23'30" Position at: MOUTH
Longitude:129°01'35"
Gazetteer Map:103P/6
Relative Location:Flows E into Nass River, N of Kwinamuck Lake, Cassiar Land District
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Origin Notes and History

Kwinatahl River adopted 6 June 1922, as submitted April 1922 by J.D.Craig, International Boundary Survey, not "Kwinatat Creek" as labelled on Geological Survey map 69A, Route map of part of the Nass River, 1912, nor "Quinatahl River" as labelled on BC map 3M, 1916. Kwinatahl River confirmed 6 August 1953 on 103 P. Form of name changed to Ksi Gwinhat'al per Nisga'a Treaty, Appendix F-3, effective 11 May 2000.
Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Gwinhat'al means "the place where inner cedar bark (may be obtained)" [gwin/ place of; hat'al/ inner cedar bark]. [Ksi, in the context of geographical names refers to "water flowing out from someplace" ]. This area, according to the titleholder, was where prime cedar stands were situated. This was also the territory from which cedar poles were obtained for totem poles. When a pole was raised, the titleholder would be repayed for the cedar taken from their Wilp (house) territory.
Source: Nisga'a Tribal Council / Ayuukhl Nisga'a Department, Aiyansh BC