| Taaw Tldáaw | |
|---|---|
| Tow Hill | |
 Taaw Tldáaw on Graham Island | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Prominence | 118 m (387 ft) |
| Listing | List of volcanoes in Canada |
| Coordinates | 54°04′27.1″N131°47′56.1″W / 54.074194°N 131.798917°W /54.074194; -131.798917 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Graham Island,British Columbia,Canada |
| District | Queen Charlotte Land District |
| Topo map | NTS 103J4Tow Hill |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | 2 million years |
| Mountain type | Volcanic plug |
Taaw Tldáaw, formerly known asTow Hill, is a large isolatedvolcanic plug located 21 km (13 mi) east ofMasset on the north end of theNaikoon Peninsula of northeastGraham Island inHaida Gwaii,British Columbia,Canada, east of McIntyre Bay and near the mouth of theHiellen River,[1] which is the site ofHiellen, a now-abandoned Haida village and of theHiellen Indian Reserve No. 2, on the site of that village. FormerlyTow Hill Provincial Park, it is now part ofNaikoon Provincial Park, which covers most of the northeastern flatland of Graham Island.
Taaw Tldáaw is the traditional, ancient name of this hill. During the colonial era it was, as the Haida phrase it, "briefly known as Tow Hill". The name Taaw Tldáaw was officially restored in 2022 as part of the Haida's ongoing efforts to reclaim theirindigenous land rights andsovereignty.[2][1]
Taaw Tldáaw is associated by the editors ofCanadian Mountain Encyclopedia with theQueen Charlotte Mountains which in turn form part of theInsular Mountains,[3] but it is not physically part of the range, and is separated from mountainous parts of Graham Island by expanses of forested flatland-marsh and is properly designated as being on theArgonaut Plain, one of the lowland areas of Haida Gwaii not in the Queen Charlotte Mountains.[4]
Taaw Tldáaw consists of faceted columnar-jointedbasalt columns that solidified about two million years ago during thePleistocene epoch.
"This feature is an eroded volcanic plug - the most distinctive navigational landmark on the entire North Beach. Tow is derived from a Haida word that rhymes with "cow", and means place of food. Many legends about its origin and the significance of the blowhole at the base of the hill......"[5]
54°05′00″N131°48′00″W / 54.08333°N 131.80000°W /54.08333; -131.80000