St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s is a word that means “sheared off”. The story goes that there were two sínulhḵay̓ (double-headed serpents) going in opposite directions – one was going up Howe Sound and the other was coming down. They collided at St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s and one of the sínulhḵay̓’s heads came off. Other versions of this story say that the two sínulhḵay̓ had a battle and one bit the other one’s head off, cutting him in two. That is why there are also other names for the place which mean “cut up”.