Dxʷdəwʔabš
/ˈdxʷ.də.wʔabʃ/noun
The Lushootseed name for the Duwamish people, an Indigenous Coast Salish community of the Seattle region.
Did you know?The English name “Duwamish” is an anglicized form of Dxʷdəwʔabš, while the exact internal analysis and translation can vary among Lushootseed speakers and sources.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Lushootseed
dxʷdəwʔabš
“An Indigenous collective name for the Duwamish people; traditionally associated with the Seattle-area waterways and interior locations.”
18th–19th Century
English records
Duwamish
“An approximate colonial-English rendering of the Lushootseed ethnonym.”
1850s
English
Duwamish
“Used in treaties, territorial records, and settler geography for the people and river in the Puget Sound region.”
20th Century
English
Duwamish
“Retained as the community’s English name and in names such as the Duwamish River.”
Modern English
English
Dxʷdəwʔabš
“A revitalized Lushootseed form used alongside “Duwamish” to affirm Indigenous language and identity.”
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