Klallam
/ˈklæləm/noun
A member of the Klallam people or a Salishan language traditionally spoken in the Pacific Northwest.
Did you know?The Klallam people’s own name for themselves is Nəxʷsƛ̓ay̓əm, while “Klallam” is an English adaptation of a neighboring Coast Salish form.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Klallam
Nəxʷsƛ̓ay̓əm
“The Klallam people’s autonym, commonly translated as “strong people.””
19th Century
Lushootseed
xʷsƛ̓ay̓əm
“A neighboring Coast Salish form referring to the Klallam people; its initial sounds were adapted in English spelling.”
19th Century
English
Clallam
“An early English spelling used in colonial and ethnographic records.”
Late 19th–20th Century
English
Klallam
“A standardized English spelling for the people and their language.”
Modern English
English
Klallam
“The established name for the people, language, and cultural identity associated with the northwestern Olympic Peninsula and southern Vancouver Island.”
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