| Feature Type: | River - Watercourse of variable size, which has tributaries and flows into a body of water or a larger watercourse. |
| Status: | Official |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | Flows N into Pine River at Chetwynd, Peace River Land District |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 55°36'49"N, 121°34'34"W at the approximate mouth of this feature. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 93P/12 |
| Related Maps: |
93I/13 93P/12 93P/4 93P/5 |
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Origin Notes and History:
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Sukunka River was adopted in the 1930 BC Gazetteer, as labelled on 1879 Geological Survey of Canada map of Northern BC and Peace River Country, as labelled on BC maps 1G, 1916, and 1H, 1917, and as mentioned in BCLS Extracts, 1920, p.75. Name confirmed 1 December 1949 on 93P/NW. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Sheet # 2 of G.M. Dawson's map for GSC "Northern British Columbia & Peace River Country", 1879, labels "Sukunka or Middle Branch Pine River"; also so-identified in accompanying Canadian Geological Survey Report 1879-80, p.41B. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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12 April 1983 notation on BC name card indicates that "Oxnis", a Cree word, is the local name (no source provided). Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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The last two syllables of Sukunka, a Sekani word, mean "fire" and "along (the river)." 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 |