 Apparently, the government did this without knowledge of the English translation of "tatshenshini".The name "Tatshenshini" is derived from a Tlingit phrase, the meaning of which was not recorded.However, the original phrase appears to have been "t’áchán shahéeni", a compound Tlingit noun meaning "river with stinking chinook (king) salmon at its headwaters" ("t’á" ["chinook or king salmon"] + "chán" ["stink"] + "sha" ["head of"] + "héen" ["river"] + "i" [possessed noun suffix]).