Hkusam Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia

Locality - A named place or area, generally with a scattered population of 50 or less. S side of Johnstone Strait just E of Sayward, Sayward Land District

Mapped Location

Hkusam: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on Hkusam

  • Feature Type: Place

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Hkusam

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
Hkusam Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Hkusam

References to Hkusam that document the origin of its place name

Hkusam (settlement) adopted 6 November 1952 on 92K. Form of name changed to Hkusam (locality) 29 November 1984.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Port Kusam Post Office was opened 1 March 1899 at Lot 495, Sayward District. Renamed Sayward Post Office 1 December 1911, taking the name of the surrounding Land District, and relocated south to the more populated valley, Sec 29, Tp3.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Translation: "having fat or oil". The name has also been written Husam, xwasam, xusam and Koosam, and referred to both the [First Nation] settlement and the Salmon River. The settlement was utilized by the Hahamatsees/Walitsama, Lekwiltok and the Island Comox [K'omoks]. Another name for the location was Nuglumps.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
Museum at Campbell River (spring 2001)  |  Province of British Columbia

The Salmon River area, including Hkusam, is said to have originally been occupied by Coast Salish speakers and Hkusam is identified by Duff (1965: 86) as an Island Comox place-name. The name referred to both the village and the Salmon River (Kennedy and Bouchard 1983:167). By the mid 1800's the residents of Hkusam were identified as Lekwiltok rather than Coast Salish. Whether the change represents population replacement or intermarriage is uncertain. IR #1 Salmon River, was alotted in 1879 to the Hahamatsees, who lived there until around 1920 when many members of this community relocated to Comox. The reserve was later transferred to the Comox Indian band [K'omoks First Nation is now the preferred name].

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
Museum at Campbell River (spring 2001)  |  Province of British Columbia

Published references to this site (including maps): Boas, Franz, "Geographical Names of the Kwakiutl Indians" Columbia University Contributions to Anthropology 20, New York, 1934 (15/151); Dawson, George, "Notes and Observations on the Kwakiool People of the Northern Part of Vancouver Island and Adjacent Coasts" Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, 1887; Galois, Robert, "Kwakwaka'wakw Settlements, 1775 - 1920: A geographical analysis and Gazeteer" UBC Press, Vancouver, 1994 (Ha 3); Kennedy, Dorothy and Randy Bouchard, "Sliammon Life, Sliammon Lands" Talonbooks, Vancouver, 1983; and Mauze, Marie, "Les Fils de Wakai. Une Histoire des Indiens Lekwiltoq" Editions Recherche sur les Civilisations, Paris, 1992.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
Museum at Campbell River (spring 2001)  |  Province of British Columbia

 

Strathcona Regional District

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-10-01