Clallam
/ˈklæləm/noun
Clallam refers to the Klallam Indigenous people of the northwestern Pacific Coast and to their traditional language.
Did you know?The English form Clallam is an outsider spelling of the people’s own name, commonly represented in Klallam orthography as nəxʷsƛ̓ay̓əm.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Klallam
nəxʷsƛ̓ay̓əm
“The people’s autonym, traditionally interpreted as “strong people” or “powerful people.””
18th–19th Century
European records
Clallam / Klallam
“Transcriptions of the Indigenous name by explorers, traders, missionaries, and colonial officials.”
19th Century
English
Clallam
“An English ethnonym for the Indigenous people living around the Strait of Juan de Fuca.”
Modern English
English
Clallam
“A name for the people, their language, and places associated with them, including Clallam County in Washington State.”
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