BC Geographical Names

Name Details:

Name: Prophet River
Feature TypeClick here for a list of
Feature Types.:		 River - Watercourse of variable size, which has tributaries and flows into a body of water or a larger watercourse
StatusClick here for an explanation of Status.: Official
Relative Location: Flows N into Muskwa River, just S of Fort Nelson, Peace River Land District
Latitude-LongitudeClick here for an explanation of Position Type.: 58°45'44''N, 122°44'26''W at the approximate mouth of this feature.
DatumClick here for an explanation of Datum.: NAD83
NTS MapClick here for an explanation of NTS Map.: 94J/15
Related MapClick here for an explanation of Related Maps.:
94F/9 94G/11 94G/12 94G/14
94G/15 94J/10 94J/15 94J/2
94J/7
  Nearby names within
  

Origin Notes and History:

Adopted in the 14th Report of the Geograhic Board of Canada, 31 march 1915.
Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office
Prophet was the chief of a band of the Sikanni Indians. "... custom apparently is for a separate band of the Sikanni Indians to hunt on [one and only one] of these rivers, and the rivers receive the names of the leaders in each band.....thus Musquah's River, Prophet's River, Sikanni Chief's River and Fantasque's River." (from report of Maj. E.B. Hart, who participated in 1912 Department of Lands' survey of the Liard River.) [notation on BC card indicates that Hart's report was published in 1913-14, with above-text relayed in a letter received 3 January 1914, file 6952-S]
Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office
Translation of Indian name "Na-tint-te". About 96 miles long. Headwaters at 57 34 - 124 21.
Source: Canadian Geographical Names Database, Ottawa
"The Beaver Indians recognized certain people as 'dreamers' or 'prophets' who could foretell future events. This river may be named for a fairly recent prophet of the Beaver people, Notseta, the father of people still living on the Prophet River Reserve. Alternatively, it may be named for Decutla, a prophet of an earlier generation."
Source: Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; British Columbia Place Names; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997