Kwakiutl
/ˈkwɑː.kiː.ʊtəl/noun
A historical English name for the Kwakwaka'wakw Indigenous peoples of coastal British Columbia, Canada, and especially for the Kwagu'ł community.
Did you know?The name Kwakiutl originally referred specifically to the Kwagu'ł community, but English speakers later generalized it to many distinct Kwakwaka'wakw communities; the broader name is now generally avoided.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-19th Century
Kwak'wala
Kwagu'ł
“The name of a specific Kwakwaka'wakw community; its deeper internal meaning is not securely established in English-language etymological sources.”
19th Century
English
Kwakiool / Kwakiutl
“Early recorded English spellings of the community name, shaped by colonial transliteration and pronunciation.”
19th Century
English
Kwakiutl
“An ethnonym used by anthropologists and colonial authorities for the Kwagu'ł and, increasingly, for related Kwakwaka'wakw peoples.”
20th Century
English
Kwakiutl
“A widespread umbrella label in scholarship, museums, and popular writing, despite referring originally to one community.”
Modern English
English
Kwakwaka'wakw
“The preferred collective name commonly used today for the Indigenous peoples speaking or historically speaking Kwak'wala dialects; Kwakiutl remains a historical term and specific community name.”
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