Cumshewa is a former village of the Haida people located on the north flank of

Cumshewa Inlet Cumshewa Inlet (), also recorded or referred to in exploration logs as Cumchewas Harbour and Tooscondolth Sound, is a large inlet on the east coast of Moresby Island in the Haida Gwaii islands of the North Coast of British Columbia. The inlet was t ...

in the

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Heca ...

of the

North Coast of British Columbia North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, Canada. It is named for

Cumshewa Cumshewa, also Go'mshewah, Cummashawa, Cummashawaas, Cumchewas, Gumshewa was an important hereditary leader of the Haida people of Haida Gwaii on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. His name is believed to be of either Kwak'wala or Heilt ...

, an important Haida chief during the era of the Maritime Fur Trade (late 17th and early 19th Centuries), as is

Cumshewa Head Cumshewa, also Go'mshewah, Cummashawa, Cummashawaas, Cumchewas, Gumshewa was an important hereditary leader of the Haida people of Haida Gwaii on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. His name is believed to be of either Kwak'wala or Heilts ...

, an important headland and point on the north side of the opening of Cumshewa Inlet, which pierces

Moresby Island Moresby Island ( hai, Gwaii Haanas) is a large island () that forms part of the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands) in British Columbia, Canada, located at . It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from ...

from the east and was the location of several historical Haida villages. The name Cumshewa Inlet was coined by captains in the marine fur trade after the most important local chief,

. The name was long in use on marine charts but was made official in the British Columbia gazette on April 6, 1926. The last few inhabitants of Cumshewa were encouraged to move to

Skidegate Skidegate ( hai, Hlg̱aagilda) is a Haida community in in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southeast coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia across Hec ...

in 1926.

Name

Cumshewa is a

Heiltsuk The Heiltsuk or Haíɫzaqv , sometimes historically referred to as ''Bella Bella'', are an Indigenous people of the Central Coast region in British Columbia, centred on the island community of Bella Bella. The government of the Heiltsuk people ...

word meaning "rich at the mouth of the river". The ancient Haida name for the village was Thlinul anglicized as Tlkinool by John Work during a

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

census in 1839.

References

* *{{BCGNIS, 30190, New Clew (locality)
Canadian Museum of Civilization webpage on Cumshewa
Haida villages Populated places in Haida Gwaii Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia

Name

See also

References