Squamish Nation asks for Mount Garibaldi to be officially renamed Nch'ḵay̓

One of the signature peaks in the Sea to Sky corridor could soon have a not-so-new name.

The Squamish Nation is asking for Mount Garibaldi be officially recognized by its historic Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim name "Nch'ḵay̓" (in-ch-KAY), which has been used for thousands of years.

Nch'ḵay̓ means "dirty place" or "grimy one" and stems from volcanic debris in the Cheekye River that tends to make it look muddy, according to the Squamish Nation.

Mount Garibaldi is a dormant volcano located between Squamish and Whistler. It was named in the 1860s by Captain George Henry Richards of the Royal Navy survey to commemorate Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi, who helped unify Italy in the same decade. 

In a letter to Squamish mayor and council discussing the name change request, Trent Thomas, provincial toponymist with the British Columbia Geographical Names Office, said it is unlikely Garibaldi ever visited B.C.

Even so, there are 10 other official names commemorating him in the province, including Garibaldi Provincial Park, where the mountain is located.

Thomas's Sept. 21 letter confirms that his office has received a request from the Squamish Nation to change the peak's name to Nch'ḵay̓ to honour the Nation's historical and cultural relationship to the area.

According to the Squamish Nation, oral history centres Nch'ḵay̓ in a number of stories, including one of the Squamish people surviving a great flood by tethering their canoes with cedar rope to the top of Nch'ḵay̓, one of the few peaks above the water.

"Recognizing Indigenous place names is part of B.C.'s work to advance reconciliation and implement the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act," said a statement from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

A public comments period on the proposal is open until Dec. 31, 2023.