About this location

ʔak̓uǂni, pronounced ah-kooth-nee, means “journey” or “the act of paddling” in the ktunaxa language, and is the root of the word “kootenay.” “From the time when we first brought Dave Thompson and the Jesuit Father DeSmet to our territory Flatbow Kootenay or ʔak̓aq̓ⱡahaⱡxu were known and documented to be instrumental in the development of our territory as we know it today. With an unwritten language the word ʔak̓uǂni became “A Kootenay” and the name for the territory became the Kootenays,” says Lower Kootenay Band Councillor Robin Louie. “Working in peace and thriving together for the betterment of all of our future generations is the foundation of the culture of the land that we all call home, and what makes this such a great place to live. Since time immemorial people from all directions around the continent have come to the land where two great rivers flow in a circle to begin their ʔak̓uǂni, and what a better place to begin than right here.”