Anahim Peak

Coordinates: 52°45′28″N 125°37′31″W / 52.75778°N 125.62528°W / 52.75778; -125.62528
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Anahim Peak
Bes But'a, Bis Nadiʔah
West side of Anahim Peak
Highest point
Elevation1,897 m (6,224 ft)[1][2]
Prominence542 m (1,778 ft)[1]
ListingMountains of British Columbia
Coordinates52°45′28″N 125°37′31″W / 52.75778°N 125.62528°W / 52.75778; -125.62528[3]
Naming
Native nameBis Nadiʔah (Chilcotin)
Geography
DistrictRange 3 Coast Land District
Parent rangeChilcotin Plateau
Topo mapNTS 92C13 Ucluelet
Geology
Age of rock6.7 million years[4]
Mountain typeVolcanic plug
Volcanic beltAnahim Volcanic Belt

Anahim Peak, also spelled Anaham, ʔAnaghim, or Anaheim, is a volcanic cone in the Anahim Volcanic Belt in British Columbia, Canada, located 39 km (24 mi) northwest of Anahim Lake and 11 km (7 mi) east of Tsitsutl Peak.[1][3] It was formed when the North American Plate moved over a hotspot, similar to the one feeding the Hawaiian Islands, called the Anahim hotspot. It is one of the several volcanoes in the Anahim Volcanic Belt that stands out all by itself, rising from the Chilcotin Plateau, between the Rainbow Range and the Ilgachuz Range and near the headwaters of the Dean River.

Name[edit]

The Carrier (Dakelh) name for Anahim Peak is Bes But'a, meaning "obsidian peak."[5] To the Tsilhqot'in Nation, the mountain is called Bis Nadiʔah (also meaning "obsidian peak"),[6] or Tŝi-bis Gunlin Xadalgwenlh ("mountain where there is obsidian stone"). The word bes (bis in Tŝilhqot’in) is anglicised as "beece", another word for obsidian and also an early designation for this mountain. The name Anahim is that of Chief Anahim, a leader of the Tsilhqot'in people in the mid-19th Century.

Area and history[edit]

Anahim Peak was a significant source of obsidian for the Nuxalk, Tsilhqot'in, and Dakelh peoples. Obsidian was desirable because extremely sharp arrowheads and cutting knives could be made from it. It was also used for jewellery. Anahim obsidian was traded widely all over the BC Interior and up and down the Coast from Bella Coola. Red ochre was used in paint and decoration was also taken from this area. Anahim Peak is not far from the small community of Anahim Lake.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Anahim Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  2. ^ "Topographic map of Anahim Peak". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  3. ^ a b "Anahim Peak". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
  4. ^ Bevier, Mary Lou (1978). Field Relations and Petrology of the Rainbow Range Shield Volcano, West-Central British Columbia (M.S. Thesis). University of British Columbia. p. 68. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  5. ^ "Dakelh placenames". Yinka Dene Language Institute. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  6. ^ "Tŝilhqotin Place Names". Tŝilhqot’in National Government. Retrieved 2022-02-16.