Hišimy̓awiƛ: Gather Together — State of the Mountains

Editors’ Note: This story provides some insight into the naming of the first hut on Vancouver Island’s 5040 Peak. Please join us in referring to this hut as Hišimy̓awiƛ (Hi-SHIM-ya-wit).

A hut on Peak 5040 - the early days

“5040 Peak Hut” was never intended to be a final name, just a placeholder. Our section of the ACC (Vancouver Island Section) always knew that we would settle on a permanent name that fit the place and one that respected the First Nations upon whose traditional lands the hut sits. If possible, we wanted to use a name that was given by First Nations.

Hut naming ceremony at Hišimy̓awiƛ. Photo by Mark McKeough, courtesy of Tristan Oliver.

When Chris Jensen first imagined a hut on the flank of 5040 Peak, he thought of the local First Nations. In his own words:

“The ridges of 5040 Peak form the boundaries of several large watersheds. Therefore, they also form the natural boundaries for at least six First Nations including Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet), Toquaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Tseshaht, Hupačasath and Uchucklesaht. Like the hub of a wheel, 5040 Peak is a special nexus and an ideal location to bring together youth from the region. I do not know if there is a better single viewpoint than the summit of 5040 Peak to observe and appreciate the traditional territories of so many First Nations.”

Two members of the Tseshaht Nation joined Chris Jensen and Chris Ruttan early on for a winter hike up 5040 Peak. Toquaht were involved in the dialogue from the beginning. The Tla-o-qui-aht Nation donated the three yellow cedar trees that grace the front of the hut. Support from local First Nations was critical during the process of requesting official government approval to build a hut.

However, given the number of Nations involved, finding a traditional name for the hut proved to be difficult. At the official opening in October 2018, it was called rather prosaically, “5040 Peak Hut.”

Enter the Warrior YoutH

Since 2009, the Vancouver Island Section has offered an annual youth grant from its Memorial Fund. In 2016, Carlos Mack of the Toquaht Nation successfully applied for a $1,500 grant to purchase rock climbing gear for the “Warrior Youth” program in the Ucluelet-Tofino area on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Then in September 2018, three Alpine Club members took several Warrior Youth on a rainy weekend of rappelling in traditional Toquaht territory.

Warrior Youth waiting to climb 5040 Peak. Photo by Rob Ramsay.

By 2018, Ricardo Manmohan of Tofino was running the Warrior Youth program. He was keen to get these teens into the forests and mountains and was communicating regularly with ACCVI members Brianna Cook-Coates and Geoff Bennett. Realizing that the time was right to promote further cooperation between the ACC and First Nations, the VI executive set up a FN Liaison Subcommittee under Geoff’s direction. At Chris Jensen’s suggestion, one of its first tasks was to find a traditional name for the hut. He thought that the Warriors, comprising youth from several nations, might be the ideal group to come up with a name. In February 2019, Geoff contacted Ricardo, who understood the potential problems but who gamely took up the challenge.

Several months later, the youth proposed an English name, “Gathering Place.” This sounded good but the Ucluelet elders demurred, noting that there was a hint of ownership in the word “place.” They prefer to name locations according to the activity which goes on there. The elders suggested “Gather Together” instead. The youth agreed, then asked for a translation into the Barkley Sound dialect of the Ucluelet First Nation. Subsequently, the Toquaht elders suggested a minor spelling change. The Tla-o-qui-aht elders approved and other Nations in the area were notified. On September 26th, 2019, the ACCVI executive unanimously approved the new name, Hišimy̓awiƛ.

The pronunciation is simple: [Hi-SHIM-ya-wit], although the final “barred lambda” or “running man” can also be pronounced [tsh] or [tl]. The three i’s are all short. Note that the hut is not named Hišimy̓awiƛ Hut, just Hišimy̓awiƛ.

This is the first Alpine Club hut in Canada to receive a name from First Nations.

Naming Ceremony

The new name arrived just in time for a long-planned ceremony at the hut on the afternoon of October 5th. Ricardo arranged for five Warrior Youth to attend, while Derek Sou brought up several ACCVI youth on the Friday night. They all climbed 5040 Peak in sunny weather on the Saturday morning – apparently the highest any of the Warrior Youth had ever climbed.

Long-time ACCVI member Mike Hubbard described the trip in the Island Bushwhacker newsletter:

On Friday October 4th Colleen and I, together with my daughter Kyla and husband Will, drove up to the trail head on the Marion Main for a day trip to the naming ceremony scheduled for 2:30 on the Saturday. Despite torrential rain through Nanaimo and ominous clouds to the west the forecast was good for Saturday. We had a dry camp by the car and an early start up the trail.

As we came out of the trees at Cobalt Lake, we could see figures on the summit. When we arrived at the hut all was quiet apart from Chris Ruttan and Robert Ramsay working on finishing touches to the bannisters and Tristan Oliver and Alex Liotti preparing to film the event. Soon, however, the hikers arrived back from the mountain for lunch. When we went in to join them there were five youth Warriors from the Ucluelet, Toquaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, Evan Touchie, Ethan Tom, Daniel Williams, Tyson Touchie and Hayden Serchter and two of our youth members, Evelyn Sou and Aila Gessinger playing cards. I don’t know what the game was but they were certainly having a lot of fun and it was wonderful to see the young people getting along so well together.

After a warm and comfortable lunch in the hut the weather brightened and we assembled outside on the rocks where Chris Jensen introduced the Warriors, who were there on behalf of their elders. They sang a Welcome Song and a Victory Song with improvised drumming on a plastic pail which made a remarkably good drum. Whilst there were only a few of us adults there: Waylon McLeod and Mark McKeough from Tofino with the Warriors, Derek and Ian Sou and Vanessa Barr with our youth, Chris and Robert, who actually stopped working for the ceremony, Colleen, Kyla, Will and myself together with the film crew, it was a moving ceremony.

It bodes well for the tremendous contribution our hut is providing to enable young and old to enjoy our Island mountains. I said a few words of welcome to the Warriors and thanks to the builders. I tried my best pronunciation of Hišimy̓awiƛ but from the laughs on the faces of the Warriors I don’t think I did a very good job. It does require a bit of practice but I am sure we will all get used to it and enjoy gathering together at Hišimy̓awiƛ for many years.