"Pender Harbour" adopted 28 July 1945 on Chart #3579, as labelled on British Admiralty Chart 579, 1863 et seq. Official name changed to ḵalpilin 21 June 2023 on 92F/9 as requested by shíshálh Nation.

Source: BC place name cards & correspondence, and/or research by BC Chief Geographer & Geographical Names Office staff.

The name ḵalpilin is the shíshálh name for the location of present-day Pender Harbour. For the shíshálh, the place name ḵalpilin has been associated with the use of the region to shelter from the wind and rough sea. Therefore, the shíshálh associate the name ḵalpilin with its use as a ‘sheltered area’. The direct translation of ḵalpilin means ‘coming around/detouring in a certain direction’. In context, this direct translation refers to the shíshálh use of the ḵalpilin (Pender Harbour) area. The direct translation further explains how the shíshálh would detour or come to this area to live and seek shelter from the wind and rough seas (advice from shíshálh Nation Stewardship and Territorial Land Management Division, 2021).

Source: included with note

The shíshálh comprise of four subgroups with each subgroup associating with geographical areas in the shíshálh swiya (land). The sx̱ix̱us subgroup, was centered around ḵalpilin (Pender Harbour), with its main village at sex̱wɁamin (Garden Bay). During the winter season, all four shíshálh subgroups would come to live together throughout ḵalpilin, with its major winter village at sex̱wɁamin (Garden Bay) (advice from shíshálh Nation Stewardship and Territorial Land Management Division, 2021).

Source: included with note

ḵalpilin
• ḵ is like the k sound in English but pronounced farther back in the mouth
• The a is pronounced like the a in English ‘far’
• The l, p, and n sound like they are pronounced in English
• Both i sounds are like the vowel sound in English ‘mate’
• All three syllables have strong stress
ḵalpilin is not capitalized.
(Advice from shíshálh Nation Stewardship and Territorial Land Management Division, 2021).

Source: included with note

Acknowledging with gratitude Raquel Joe (ch’elkwilwet), Museum Curator, tems swiya Museum, shíshálh Nation, and Steven Feschuk (xwash), Protector of Culture, shíshálh Nation, for providing the audio pronunciation.

Source: BC place name cards & correspondence, and/or research by BC Chief Geographer & Geographical Names Office staff.

To hear recordings of place names and learn other she shashishalhem words and phrases, visit shíshálh Nation’s language webpage: https://shishalh.com/culture-language/sechelt-language/

Source: included with note