SḴŦAḴ, Mayne Island’s First Name
- Marc S. Tremblay
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Long before European names appeared on maps, the island we know today as Mayne Island was called SḴŦAḴ in the SENĆOŦEN language of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. Some people pronounced it Sk-THAK, others say Sk-TAK.
(Note: pronunciations are offered as a guide for English speakers. As a living language, SENĆOŦEN, pronounced sen-CHOH-sen, may be spoken slightly differently by fluent speakers and across communities.)
The name SḴŦAḴ refers to the pass or narrows between islands and the surrounding waters, particularly the area around what is now known as Active Pass. This was, and remains, an important travel route and gathering place that has supported Coast Salish life for thousands of years.
The land and waters of SḴŦAḴ, are part of the unceded traditional territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, reflecting deep connections to the land that extend beyond English names.
While SḴŦAḴ is recognized in the SENĆOŦEN language as the name for Mayne Island and its surrounding waters, Indigenous place names in the Southern Gulf Islands reflect multiple languages, histories, and long-standing patterns of shared use, with different communities naming islands, passes, and marine areas according to their relationships with the land and sea.
Among these, Hul’q’umi’num, a Coast Salish language spoken by neighbouring First Nations, highlights the shared use and stewardship of these islands over generations.
For example, some sources record Skwanchenum, a Hul’q’umi’num name associated with Mayne Island, illustrating the long-standing Indigenous presence in the region. Different names may be used by different communities, and published maps and language resources provide additional context.
The W̱SÁNEĆ People and Tsartlip First Nation
The W̱SÁNEĆ Nation is made up of several Coast Salish communities, including Tsartlip, Tsawout, and Tseycum. These communities have lived throughout the Saanich Peninsula and Southern Gulf Islands since time immemorial.
The Tsartlip First Nation, known in SENĆOŦEN as W̱JOȽEȽP (pronounced wuh-HO-lee-lp), has a deep and enduring connection to Mayne Island. Within its broader traditional territory, Tsartlip has a reserve at Helen Point, at the southern entrance to Active Pass, where the land and surrounding waters have supported fishing, travel, and marine harvesting for generations and continue to hold cultural significance today.
Tsartlip was also a signatory to the Douglas Treaties of the early 1850s, agreements that continue to influence relationships between Indigenous peoples and the Crown in this region. While colonial settlement dramatically altered land ownership and access, Tsartlip and other W̱SÁNEĆ peoples maintain cultural, spiritual, and familial ties to SḴŦAḴ.
European Naming and Colonial History
In 1857, Captain George Richards of the Royal Navy surveyed the southern Gulf Islands aboard HMS Plumper. He named the island Mayne Island in honour of his lieutenant, Richard Charles Mayne, the son of Sir Richard Mayne.
This name, like many others in the region, reflects the period of colonial exploration and mapping that followed thousands of years of Indigenous stewardship.
Honouring the Full Story of SḴŦAḴ
Acknowledging SḴŦAḴ as the original name of Mayne Island, or Skwanchenum, invites a deeper understanding of this place. It reminds us that long before colonial charts and European names, this island was part of a rich and enduring Indigenous world shaped by language, tradition, and stewardship.
At The Grove B&B, we recognize that learning and sharing these stories is part of respecting the land we live on and welcoming guests into a place with a history far older than any modern map.
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It’s interesting that SḴŦAḴ was used to reference Mayne, the waters around including, Active Pass and Galiano. Tks for sharing!