Skagway, Alaska - Etymology and The Mythical Stone Woman

Etymology and The Mythical Stone Woman

Skagway was derived from Shԍagwei, the nickname for Kanagu, a mythical woman transformed into stone who lived at Skagway bay. Through association, shԍagwei also became the name for the rough seas that Kanagu caused and for the river that Kanagu “personified.”

According to Tlingit mythology as of 1882, a rock at Skagway bay was a woman transformed into stone named Kanagu. Also according to this mythology, when angry, Kanagu would send strong channeled winds through the Taiya Inlet, from the Skagway River to the area around Haines, Alaska. Further according to this mythology, Kanagu “personified” the Skagway River.

The river which Kanagu “personified” bore the name Shԍagwei. Shԍagwei was also the name for the rough seas caused by the winds attributed to Kanagu. (The Kanagu rock is likely to be Face Mountain, which overlooks Skagway bay.)

Shԍagwei was Kanagu’s nickname, describing her as beautiful, before she was transformed into stone. The nickname appears to have been derived from the Tlingit verb theme -sha-ka-l-ԍeí, which means, in the case of a woman, to be beautiful. Specifically, the word appears to have been created by omitting the verb classifier “-l-,” thus rendering a non-verb.