Similkameen connecting to “her” place.
by Bronwyn Preece
If I ever have a little girl, I am going to name her Similkameen . . .
At the age of five, I was captivated and overcome by a complete sense of magic around the headwaters of the Similkameen River in BC. As my parents and I would follow the river, descend into the valley, and then continue traveling through, my heart remained with the river, with the valley. Words could not describe the stirrings inside me. I was mesmerized. My best way to try to share this sense of awe and wonder was the thought that I may be able to convey these sentiments to a child I might one day birth. By naming a daughter Similkameen, my five-year-old mind was marrying the qualities of a child with those of the Similkameen: wonder, mystery, fragility, strength, freedom, wildness, beauty, movement, spirit, enchantment, and . . . magic. I did not know what Similkameen officially meant, but at the same time I knew exactly what the name meant.
Then and there, I announced out loud to my parents—I remember it clearly to this day—that it was my intention to bestow the name of the name Similkameen on a future daughter. And that is exactly what I did.
On April 13, Similkameen Shannon O’Rourke was born at home on Lasqueti Island, BC.
Her name accurately captures the magnificence of her being: at times wild and frenzied, at times calm and peaceful—possessing a balance between strength and determination, tranquility and pensiveness. Above all, a unique child, with a unique name.
We do not live in or near the Similkameen, but my daughter holds a special connection, unique to herself, to the place of her namesake.
The Similkameen First Nations are the People of the Eagle. In our home on the coast, eagles circle us, and come to rest on an old snag beside the cabin where Similkameen was born. The connection extends beyond the place, beyond the name, and into the essence.
Similkameen connecting to “her” place.
When the time came to choose a name for our daughter, how could I have gone against my five-year-old self? I couldn’t and neither could Paddy. And the name suited her so. Paddy chose her middle name: Shannon. Shannon was a name with significance for both of us. For him, he was thinking of Shannon Falls in Squamish, BC—a place he frequented often for rock climbing. So too is Shannon the name of Ireland’s largest river, paying homage to a portion of her heritage. And it turns out, the Shannon River’s headwaters stem from where the O’Rourke clan originated, and O’Rourke is her last name. I opted to use her father’s surname, as opposed to mine, as Paddy had an older son, and I wanted both siblings to share the same last name. Ironically, though she is named after two rivers, she does not have a single water sign in her astrological chart!
Similkameen rock climbing near Shannon Falls.