Kwaguʼł
/ˈkwɑːɡuːɬ/noun
An Indigenous nation of the Kwakwakaʼwakw peoples of coastal British Columbia, Canada.
Did you know?“Kwaguʼł” is the self-designation behind the older colonial term “Kwakiutl,” which properly refers to one nation rather than to all Kwakwakaʼwakw peoples.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Kwakʼwala
Kwaguʼł
“The nation’s Indigenous self-designation, preserved in Kwakʼwala orthography.”
18th–19th Century
Kwakʼwala
Kwaguʼł
“Name used by the nation in the northern Vancouver Island region.”
19th Century
English
Kwakiutl
“An English exonym derived through colonial and missionary transcription, often generalized to neighboring Kwakwakaʼwakw peoples.”
Late 19th–20th Century
English
Kwakiutl
“Common scholarly and administrative label, despite its imprecise application.”
Modern English
English
Kwaguʼł
“Preferred Indigenous name for the Kwaguʼł nation, distinct from the broader collective term Kwakwakaʼwakw.”
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