Makah
/məˈkɑː/noun
A member of an Indigenous people of the northwestern Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, or their Wakashan language.
Did you know?Makah is an exonym derived from the Klallam language, while the people traditionally call themselves qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌, meaning “people who live by the rocks and seagulls.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Makah
qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌
“The Makah people’s traditional self-designation; its interpretation is commonly connected with living near rocks and seagulls.”
Early historical period
Klallam
maq̓áʔa
“Generous with food; the source traditionally given for the outsider name.”
18th–19th Century
English
Makah
“English name for the Indigenous people living at the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula.”
19th Century
English
Makah
“A name applied both to the people and to their Wakashan language.”
Modern English
English
Makah
“The established name of the Makah Tribe, its people, and its language.”
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