Siwash Rock (also known as Skalsh or Slah-kay-ulsh; Sḵwxwú7mesh Slhxi'7elsh ) is a famous rock outcropping in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's Stanley Park. A legend among the Indigenous Sḵwxwú7mesh surrounds the origin of the rock . It is between 15 and 18 metres tall (50-60 feet).
Originally known to mariners as Nine Pin Rock for its vague resemblance to a bowling pin, the Sḵwxwú7mesh name for the rock is slhxi'7elsh (alternatively spelled Slahkayulsh), meaning "he is standing up". The hole in the rock was where Slahkayulsh kept his fishing tackle, according to Andrew Paull.[2] In Legends of Vancouver, poet Pauline Johnson relates a Sḵwxwú7mesh legend of how a man was transformed into Siwash Rock "as an indestructible monument to Clean Fatherhood."[3] A plaque near the rock (pictured) states that it is "Skalsh the unselfish," who was transformed by "Q'uas the transformer" as a reward for unselfishness.
