The Squamish Nation has made an official request to change the name of Mount Garibaldi in honour of its Indigenous history.
The nation would like to change it to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim Nch’ḵay̓.
In the letter dated Sept. 21, Trent Thomas, provincial toponymist with the BC Geographical Names Office, writes Nch’ḵay̓ “is the name that has always been used by Squamish Nation and means ‘dirty place’ or ‘grimy one’.”
The name comes from the nearby Cheekye River and its tendency to look muddy in colour as a result of volcanic debris that changes the colour of the water and the landscape.
According to the BC Geographical Names Office, “Nch’ḵay̓ is considered sacred by the Squamish people. Their oral history talks of a time of a great flood when Nch’ḵay̓ played a central role in the survival of the Squamish people. During the great flood, the waters rose to such an extent that only Nch’ḵay̓ and several other taller mountains remained above the water. The Squamish people tethered their canoes to the top of Nch’ḵay̓ using rope made from cedar trees until the water receded.”
It is also considered a place of ceremony, food and plant gathering and navigation, among others.
Mount Garibaldi was named in 1860 by Capt. Richards, RN, and his officers, after Giuseppe Garibaldi who in that same year had been successful in unifying Italy.
According to the BC Geographical Names Office, it is unlikely that Garibaldi ever visited B.C. himself.
Other places in the province also bear Garibaldi’s name, including Garibaldi Park.
“In accordance with the BC Geographical Naming Policy and Procedures (the Policy), before any naming decisions are made, it is important to ascertain a) if there are other known traditional names for this feature, and b) that the proposed name reflects the heritage values in the area,” the letter to the Squamish mayor and council states.
This correspondence will be part of the Oct. 3 council meeting for discussion and feedback from community groups.
Meanwhile, a year after Vancouver’s Musqueam First Nation hosted an emotional public ceremony on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to commemorate the renaming of Trutch Street, the signs still haven’t been changed.
In July 2021, Vancouver’s council voted to rename the street Musqueamview Street in English, and šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the traditional language of Musqueam.
Trutch Street, named after B.C.’s first lieutenant governor, Joseph Trutch, runs between 18th and 1st avenues on the city’s west side in the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam people.
Trutch, who arrived in the province in 1859 and became BC’s chief commissioner of land and works in the 1860s, was considered an extreme racist.
According to the Musqueam Indian Band, Trutch was openly hostile to First Nations, denied the existence of Aboriginal rights, and did not recognize previously established Indian Reserves — resulting in reserves shrinking throughout the province.
Grant said Trutch’s name is associated with the trauma inflicted by colonial governments and residential schools.
In a statement, the City of Vancouver said the “work of this renaming project is an act of Reconciliation and it is important to the City that this work is done in a good way, in collaboration with our partners from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm.
“Since the renaming ceremony, the city has been working closely with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm on many elements of this project, including the street sign design and a shared story about how we talk about the colonial history of Joseph Trutch.
“A date for when the new street name šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street will take effect has not yet been determined. We will share more about this project as it progresses.”
— with files from Kristen Robinson
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