Kiwa Creek

British Columbia. Creek: Fraser River drainage
Flows NE into Fraser River near Shere
53.0217 N 119.5636 W — Map 083E04 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1963
Official in BCCanada
This creek appears on:
Pre-emptor’s map Tête Jaune 1919 [Kiwa (Little Shuswap) Cr.]
W. A. D. Munday’s map Cariboos 1925

Kiwa is supposedly Chinook for “crooked.” Before 1915, the creek was called the Little Shuswap River (Raush River was the Big Shuswap).

“Kiwa Creek is known locally as Little Shuswap,” Munday wrote in 1925.

References:

  • Munday, Walter Alfred Don [1890–1950]. “In the Cariboo Range – Mt. David Thompson.” Canadian Alpine Journal, Vol. 15 (1925):130-136, p. 136. Alpine Club of Canada

One thought on “Kiwa Creek

  1. Robert Frear

    Interesting language parallel on the Kiwa / Kiwah!
    Five years a captive among the Black-Feet Indians, or, A thrilling narrative of the adventures, perils and suffering endured by John Dixon and his companions, among the savages of the Northwest Territory of North America-Crakes, Sylvester
    We found a rare species of bird as an inhabitant of
    these mountain fastnesses, which I wish to describe more
    particularly. To me its manners and appearance were
    quite novel, and I am satisfied that in Europe there are
    none like it. I am not an ornithologist, and can not
    describe the bird technically; but in size it was about
    equal to the robin, with alternate black and yellow
    spots covering the body, excepting the wings, which are
    a beautiful bright crimson. It is a delightful singer,
    with notes clear, shrill and melodious, which are only
    heard early in the morning and during the summer
    months. The Indians, I learned subsequently, at
    tach a degree of sacredness to this bird, and will,
    under no circumstances, permit it to be killed or in
    any way molested, believing they are messengers to
    them, indicative of good fortune, peace and plenty.
    These birds are not numerous, and it is only occa
    sionally that the adventurer among these mountains gets
    sight of one. They are exceedingly shy and timid, and
    on the first alarm disappear.
    The natives of these regions call this bird Kiwah,
    which signifies, in the Black-Feet language, “sacred.”

    Reply

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