klwist. Not Kmarken.

Submitted by Robinson Robinson on Thu, 24/06/2021 - 3:48pm

Rosslands Real Name? Is not Kmarken that's actually Red Mountain klwist is the Indigenous and Real name of the Town we call Rossland. There's a article in current trail times has a indeginous map of Koots with Real names of each Town etc. 

Town: Rossland, BC
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Submitted by Bhubble Admin on Sat, 26/06/2021 - 11:31am.

Hi Robinson Robinson, thank you for this, there is a bit of confusion here and you might be right, I may need to update the site. I recently donated a book to the Rossland Library titled Arrow Lakes Indians: Ethnography by Randy Bouchard and Dorothy Kennedy. And you are welcome to take a look at it as well. From reading this book I understood that Red Mountain is kmarkn, meaning "Smooth top" and Rossland is likely k'lwist, which means "up in the hills" but when Maylin James was at the museum in the spring, I posed the question - what do we call Rossland - is it kmarkn or is it k'lwist? My understanding from Shane Doirfu who was creating the map, was that kmarkn is definitely Red Mountain and could encompass Rossland as well but k'lwist is a more general / wider term like, "up in the hills" could be any of the hills around. Now that I see the map myself, I think maybe I understood that wrong and I am going to consult with Shane and The Blood of Life Collective again to make sure that I get it right.

Submitted by Angela on Sun, 27/06/2021 - 9:42pm.

How do we say these names, given by our "ancestors of place''?

There must be a way to link the sound of Sinixt.

 

Submitted by Columbia on Fri, 04/03/2022 - 7:42am.

Hi Alynn, were you able to confirm the Sinixt names for Red Mountain and Rossland?  Thanks.  Patricia

Submitted by Bhubble Admin on Fri, 04/03/2022 - 10:02am.

Hi Patricia,

Red Mountain is kmarkn, that is for sure. It roughly translates to "smooth top" and it refers directly to Red Mountain and likely the "Indian Flats" area between Red Mountain and Granite. kmarkn was a significant place for Sinixt people, it was a summer foraging area, primarily huckleberries.

As for Rossland, that's where the grey area is, perhaps it was called k'lwist, but k'lwist is a more general term, "up in the hills." The actual place, the town of Rossland, wasn't as significant a place to the Sinixt as kmarkn was, as far as I can tell. I imagine that if you went back in time and were to talk to a Sinixt person about Rossland, you might say k'lwist, near kmarkn - up in the hills, near smooth top.

Thank you for bringing this up Patricia!

 

Submitted by Geneviève on Fri, 04/03/2022 - 10:11am.

You got it Alynn, and as I was also told by Sinixt people, we have a way to want to translate literally, us white ass people that is. In this way, they referred to this general area given the abundance of huckleberries and one of the landmark was Red on the way to Kettle Falls to go fish salmon.  

Submitted by Columbia on Sat, 05/03/2022 - 10:14am.

Thanks Alynn, I appreciate the information and resources you have shared.