Tanu North Coast Regional District, British Columbia

Locality - A named place or area, generally with a scattered population of 50 or less. E side of Tanu Island, between Louise and Lyall Islands off E side of Moresby Island, Queen Charlotte Land District

Mapped Location

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

 

Information

General information on Tanu

  • Feature Type: Place

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Tanu

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

Name Description
Tanu Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Tanu

References to Tanu that document the origin of its place name

Tanu (village) identified on C,353, 1945. Tanu (settlement) adopted 7 April 1949. Identified as Tanu (locality) in the 1953 BC Gazetteer.

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

"This is an abandoned Haida settlement which is of significant historical importance, and should be shown on maps." (Wilson Duff, anthropologist, Provincial Museum.)

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

The Haida called this village T'aanuu, meaning "Sea-Grass-Town" referring to a type of sea grass found near the village. It was also called Klue's village after the original town chief. The hauntingly beautiful village of T'aanuu is located on the east shore of T'aanuu Island, on Laskeek Bay. T'aanuu differs from the other villages in that it faces onto two beaches, divided by a rocky shoal. In the mid-1800s the village had about 550 inhabitants, and more than 25 longhouses, 31 mortuary columns and 15 mortuary houses were recorded at that time. Although there are no standing poles left now, there are longhouse remains; house pits and collapsed moss-grown house posts mark the sites where two rows of longhouses face the shoreline. Walking amidst the ruins, surrounded by the protective rainforest, one gets a strong sense of the people who lived here. Further along the trail one comes across a reminder of the missionaries: an old tombstone almost worn smooth by time. The Watchmen cabin is located north-east of the village at the far end of the trail. (Information from Parks Canada website, 1999)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

Identified as "T'aanuu llnagaay" in description of Haida Watchmen responsibilities (Canadian Geographic Magazine, March 2007)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

 

North Coast Regional District

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-09-27