Suquamish
/suːˈkwɑːmɪʃ/noun
A Lushootseed-speaking Indigenous people of the Puget Sound region and the name of their reservation and tribal government in Washington State.
Did you know?The English form Suquamish comes through colonial transliteration of Lushootseed dxʷsuq̓ʷabš, while the community’s traditional language preserves the older structure and meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Lushootseed
dxʷsuq̓ʷabš
“The Lushootseed name for the Suquamish people, traditionally interpreted as “people of the clear salt water.””
18th–19th Century
Lushootseed
suq̓ʷabš
“A shortened or phonologically adapted form associated with the people’s name in Lushootseed usage.”
19th Century
English
Suquamish
“An English spelling created through colonial-era recording and transliteration of the Indigenous name.”
1855
English
Suquamish
“The name appears in the Treaty of Point Elliott, which recognized the Suquamish as a treaty-signing Indigenous nation.”
Modern English
English
Suquamish
“The established name of the Suquamish people, their tribal government, and the Suquamish Reservation in Washington State.”
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