Kalamalka: Looking Into the Mysterious Origins of the Name

Note: Dr. Duane Thomson’s article on this topic has been extremely helpful and I encourage you to read it on the Lake Country Museum’s website. I was also graciously given a copy of “Q’Sapi: A History of Okanagan People as Told by Okanagan Families” to help further expand the indigenous perspective on Kalamalka.

When I moved to Vernon 15 years ago I was soon struck by the ubiquitous presence of the name “Kalamalka” or simply “Kal”. It was, of course, the name of one of the most beautiful lakes I had ever seen but also lent its name to a provincial park, a historic hotel, a high school, various neighbourhoods, a nationwide tire chain and many other local businesses and places. 

The Indigenous name for this lake was originally “Chilutsus” (meaning “long lake cut in the middle”). By 1851 though, the White settlers were referring to the northern lake as Long Lake and the southern one was known as Pelmewash Lake (thus the name of the new parkway). The name of Pelmewash Lake was later changed to Wood Lake in honour of Thomas Wood, an Eastern Canadian who moved from Vernon and settled there.

We know that the current name of Kalamalka belonged to a respected Okanagan Indian chief who lived at the north end of the lake. In 1892, the main hotel in Vernon was renamed in the Chief’s honour and it seems that there was a push by some business men to have Long Lake renamed as Kalamalka as well. The local radio station even began referring to it as Kalamalka Lake. The name change was made official in the early 1950's. 

For more information on this chief please see “Who Was Chief Kalamalka?”

But what about the etymology of the name Kalamalka? Where did it originate? What does it mean? 

Well first we must admit an unpopular truth – there is no evidence that Kalamalka means “The Lake of Many Colours.” While a lake of many colours is certainly an apt description of Kalamalka Lake it does not appear to be the meaning of the word but rather a nickname that has been picked up along the way and (understandably) stuck. As Dr. Duane Thompson points out though: "One problem with the name Kalamalka is that it has no known or remembered N'syilxcen (Okanagan language) meaning." (Lake Country Museum blogs, comments section, Aug 21 2015).

There is a poem by A.C. Despard published in 1944 that appears to be the first mention of the term "Lake of Many Colours" to refer to Kalamalka Lake. Since there is no evidence that the origin of the name "Kalamalka" means "Lake of Many Colours", then perhaps this is where we first got that particular nickname for the lake. 

See his poem here: The Lake of Many Colors (Commonly called Kalamalka): Poem by A.V. Despard 

So what is the origin of the name “Kalamalka”? There are two main theories – one that it is derived from an Okanagan Indian word and another that it comes from a tropical destination. 

An Okanagan Indian Word? 

According to the book B.C. Place Names by Akrigg and Akrigg, “The word Kalamalka can be identified as an Okanagan Indian man’s name, making very suspect a theory that it is a Hawaiian name…”. 

In a 1979 interview with Jimmy Antoine (a descendant of Kalamalka) in the Vernon Morningstar (January 25th, 1990) Judy Gosselin records: "… (Jimmy) stated that the lake was named after an area chief, by the white people. Speaking through an interpreter in his native language the 90 year old Antoine said that his great grandfather, whose name sounded like “Kalamalka”, served as guardian to the head of the lake area and was leader of the people there.”

“Kalamalka” may be a form of the Okanagan Indian word “Kenamaska” which refers to the soft velvet of a deer’s antlers. “The word in reference to the Chief, meant he was a mild mannered man, well respected by his people” (See previous source). 

A Hawaiian Word?

During the fur trade years it was a common practice for the Hudson’s Bay Company and other fur companies to bring over native Hawaiians from their island paradise to work in the Pacific Northwest. These Hawaiians called themselves “Kanakas” which meant human being or person in their native tongue. 

A Kanaka Family in British Columbia

It is through this Kanaka connection that the Indian chief and our beautiful Kalamalka Lake may have been honoured with a Hawaiian name that is said to mean “Sun of the Americas”. This translation is from a 1949 letter from Margaret Titcomb, Librarian at the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii with assistance from a translator named Mrs. K. Pukui. F.M. Buckland, in a very informative article in the 1950 Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, says Mrs. Titcomb thinks: 

“Our Kalamalka is probably "Kalamaleka", the Sun of America”. He then quotes her as saying: "Perhaps some Hawaiian liked a family there so well that he called them 'Kalamaleka'—Ka (the) la (sun) Meleka (America)."  (OHSR Vol 14: 35-43)

In regards to the lake name having a Hawaiian connection, Dr. Thomson states: "...that is also possible because Hawaiians were present in the interior of BC in the fur trade era and could easily have married into the Indian population."

Chief Kalamalka

So how did Chief Kalamalka come upon his name? As was mentioned several Kanakas came over from Hawaii and worked throughout what is now Oregon State, Washington State and British Columbia. It was common practice for them to take a native wife and raise a family with her thus having children who were part First Nations and part Hawaiian. They have left several Hawaiian place and personal names throughout this vast territory. 

 Goestamana, son of Chief Kalamalka, with Ellen Ellison. Photo Credit FlyOK.ca 

The main theory regarding a Kanaka connection to Kalamalka is through a man named Louis Peon (Pion). Peon is recorded as a French Canadian in the HBC records, however F.M. Buckland records “But the family say, "No". The first Peon, a man of some distinction, came to the Okanagan from a tropical country.” It is widely believed he came from Hawaii and there is also another famous Kanaka that we know for sure of who was called Peon Peon (Peeohpeeoh) at Ft. Langley. 

Louis Peon was in Fort Astoria ( in Oregon) around 1811 and is then reported to have wintered at the Head of Okanagan Lake, befriending the Okanagan Indian Chief Huistesmetxe, about 1814. Buckland tells us that one of his daughters, Mary “Sukomelk”, married a man named Peon, most likely Louis Peon. Buckland further asserts:

“In our opinion we can hold Louis Pion responsible for the introduction of Kanaka words from his island home, and for applying to one of his children or his family the name Kalamalka (a name the next generation carried as a surname)…” (OHSR Vol 14:38)

Kalemaku?

One other option to note is that of another Kanaka named Kalemaku who arrived from O’ahu on May 7th, 1845 at Ft. Vancouver (Washington State) and later worked in New Caledonia (Northern BC). It is quite possible his travels took him through the Okanagan and it is not impossible that he fathered a child with a native woman in the Okanagan and passed on a version of his name. He arrives rather late on the scene though as we estimate the first Okanagan Indian by the name of Kalamalka was born sometime around 1800. 

Conclusion:

When I first heard of the Hawaiian name origin theory I was quite skeptical. I thought it made for a great story but was highly unlikely. Now, the more information I have found on the topic, the more convinced I am that there is indeed a Hawaiian connection through the Kanakas of the HBC.  Perhaps the story is too good not to be true? I’ll leave that up to you. We can all certainly agree on the beauty of the lake we know as Kalamalka. 

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine..." Isaiah 43:1