Obsidian Peaks
A volcanic cone rising from the Chilcotin Plateau, a source of obsidian for Indigenous peoples.
Anahim Peak, also spelled Anaham, ʔAnaghim, or Anaheim, is a volcanic cone in the Anahim Volcanic Belt in British Columbia, Canada, located 39 km northwest of Anahim Lake and 11 km east of Tsitsutl Peak. It was formed when the North American Plate moved over a hotspot, similar to the one feeding the Hawaiian Islands, called the Anahim hotspot. It is one of the several volcanoes in the Anahim Volcanic Belt that stands out all by itself, rising from the Chilcotin Plateau, between the Rainbow Range and the Ilgachuz Range and near the headwaters of the Dean River.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Volcanic Cone
Lore & Background
The Carrier (Dakelh) name for Anahim Peak is Bes But'a, meaning 'obsidian peak.' To the Tsilhqot'in Nation, the mountain is called Bis Nadiʔah (also meaning 'obsidian peak'), or Tŝi-bis Gunlin Xadalgwenlh ('mountain where there is obsidian stone'). The word bes (bis in Tŝilhqot’in) is anglicised as 'beece', another word for obsidian and also an early designation for this mountain. The name Anahim is that of Chief Anahim, a leader of the Tsilhqot'in people in the mid-19th Century. The Nuxalk (ItNuxalkmc) name for Anahim Peak is Anuxim, meaning shining out, or shining on the inside. In the origin story of mount Nusq'lst, mount Anuxim is the father of Tl'isla, the wife of mount Nusq'lst.
Reader's Guide
Anahim Peak stands as a notable landmark in the Anahim Volcanic Belt, rising alone from the Chilcotin Plateau between the Rainbow Range and the Ilgachuz Range. Its volcanic origin, tied to the Anahim hotspot, makes it part of a chain of volcanoes that formed as the North American Plate moved over a stationary mantle plume. For those interested in geology or Indigenous history, the peak offers a direct connection to the region's volcanic past and the cultural significance of obsidian. The mountain's multiple names—Bes But'a, Bis Nadiʔah, Anuxim—reflect the diverse First Nations who have used and named it over centuries. Travelers near Anahim Lake can see it rising to the northwest, a solitary cone that marks a key source of the sharp, glassy stone that shaped tools and trade across British Columbia.
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