There is a beautiful river walk at the base of Mount Yamnunska and if you ever get the chance in June there are many beautiful orchids among the fragrant wolf willow. This particular river spot, the Bow river flows between the Nakoda—also called Iyâxe/Iyârhe or Stoney) knowns as the original “people of the mountains” Iyarhe Nakoda and previously as the Iyethkabi. (Also called by many different names historically and in current literature: Stoney Nakoda, Mountain Stoneys (or Sioux), Rocky Mountain Stoney (or Sioux), Warriors of the Rocks, Cutthroat Indians, (in Plains sign language, the sign of cutting the throat) or wapamathe Historically, neighbouring tribes designate the Stoney Nakoda as “Assiniboine,” a name that means “Stone people” or “people who cook with stones”).
Keeping on the trail, watch for stone walls downstream. I stopped here taken aback by the overhanging douglas fir, the ferns, the waterfalls and the swiftness of a silty river on the wildlife due to the upstream dams. If only to know the river's language, what stories may it share?
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