The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-11-25
OUR ODD INDIAN NAMES
Valuable Article on the NomencIa-
ture Of Washington.
Hs~ is Came that 90 MANY Engiish.
men we're Henores In Naming
Puget Sound Psiass.

men were nGnIr&a an @a18A@8
Prgef sound Points.
swrirsn for the PosT ISTxlLfsxscgzI
The following are the meaning and
origin Of various names on the North
Pacific coast.
TspIAs skgEs.
Neah bay. Clallam county. This
comes from the name OF a Aekah
chief whose name vas Seah. or, rather,
Dee-ah.
Makah. or Makkah. Cisilam county.
means the people who live on point
Of land projecting into the sea. or the
cape people.
Klasset is another name by other In
dams for the same people, and means
the same as Makah.
ClaIiam is the name Of county and
comes from the Indian tribe OF that
name. which was originally written
s'Kla!lam. II IL said by the ClalIam
Indians 10 be corruption of their own
name for themselves, su-sklAim,
meaning strong people" More prob
ably. however, IL comes from the
Makah name for them. meaning clam
people, f." from q kIolab. clam, and
" aht,D a man.
se-quim, CIaIlam county, is cor
ruption of the Indian name for the
same place. which is "suchekivaiing."
skokornish. Mason county, comes
from the Indian name for themselves
OF the Indians living there. which was
s'kaw- kaw-bish, which the Clallams
call s'kaw- kaw-snish. Ii means river
people /" from kaw, fresh water, the
Skokomish river being the largest
body OF fresh water in that region.
The termination ''mish" or "bish, 10
common on the Sound, means people.
the skokomish word for people being
"klowolbish, and that of the lower
Chehalis Indians. alahmish.
Twana is a corruption from Too-au-
hu. the original name of the tribe, OF
which the Skokomi h Indians were
one band, and Is said by George Gibbs
10 be reported 10 mean, q portage
because short portage across the
head Of Hoods canal viii save water
trip around the peninsula by way Of
Port Gamble: but have never been
able 10 verify II. though ] have often
inquired VI the Indians.
Chehali., name OF river, county and
town, is pronounced BY the Indians
Tse-ha-lis. and by some carly writers
was written Chickelis. 1t means
s'sand, . and was given 10 the Indians
about the rivers mouth because OF
the sand there, and hence the early
settlers gave the river and upper Che
halls Indians the same name, though
originally neither was called by this
name by the Indians.
Wishkah, Cbehalis county, Is a cor
ruption OF the Chehalis name Hwish-
kahl. and means sinking water
skookum Chuck, Thurston county,
is from the Chinook iargon, and means
'sirong or swift water" skookum
comes originally from the Chehslls
word sku-kum, strong, and chuck,
water. from the word Tl-tsuk, Ia the
old Chinook language, which in Nootka
Is Chauk, and Clatsop, Tl-chukw.
Skookum bay, Mason county, has
the same origin and was given to the
bay because the tides rush through II
with great swiftness.
Tumwater. Thurston county, is a
Chinook iargon word meaning water
fall Ii originated from the English
word water" and ''tum" by
onomatapolia, as the sound of
the waterfall reminded people of
that sound. SO "tunium" the
word in the same language for
heart, was given to ii because of the
noise OF the beating OF the heart,
which reminded them OF such sounds.
Tacoma means in the Nisqually
language the mountain" but IL was
not given TO IL by the Indians, as their
name for il was Luwak-hu or Twa-
whauk.
Seattle was the name OF an Indian
chief, who was very friendly to the
whites. As rule the names of In
dams on Puget Sound have no more
meaning than those of America.
Kitsap county comes from chief OF
that name.
Tulalip, Snohomish county, means
wide bay with small mouth.
Stilnquamish means river people.
Nooksack, Whatcom county, is the
name of tribe, but has no meaning.
Snohomish Is the name OF tribe and
style of union.
Snoqualmie is not of much account,
but they are strong Indians,
Teekalet, the former name OF Port
Gamble, kitsap county. means 1.-THE
brightness OF the noonday SUM- be-
cause the sun at noon shines with pc
cular spleudor on Port Gamble bay.
La Push, Clatiam county, Is a Chi
nook jargon word and means
"mouth,' meaning at that place the
mouth OF the river. IL comes from the
French La Bgosn
Iatoosh, Clallam county, is also a
Chinook largon word and means
milk" or "hreast." IL j. originally
from the Chippeway word ITO tosh. "
Cathlamet. Wahkiakum county, is
written CAthlamah by Lewis and
Clarke. and was the name OF tribe of
Indians as we'll as u stream. IL evil
IDENTITY comes from the Indian word
"Calamet," meaning stone" and is
believed to have been given TO the
river because OF the fact that il has 3
stony bed along its whole course.
Kalama is believed To- he simply
corruption Of the above word Calamet
stone
La Camas, Clarke county. is the Chi
nook iarguu name for AN esculent root
II comes from the French Ia" aud the
Nootka word ''chamasS" which lewett
says means fruit, sweet, pleasant TO
taste
Walla Walla, written VIOLA Wollah
by Lewis and Clarke, is a Neg Perez
and Cayuse word, the root of which il
"walatSa," which means running.
hence running water. Two mean
ings of IL are given, one being "a small
stream running into large one, that
is. the walla walla river en,ptying
into the Columbia. Another Is ripple
after ripple, Fall after fall. p"
Wallula means the same as Walla
Walla. but is in the walia WallA
language.
Almosa. Whitman county. Is cor
ruption OF the Neg Perez wond ala
motnn and means torch light
fishery
Alpewa, Garfield county. is a Ncz
perce word, and means the mouth oil
Spring creek " The Indian name OF
the creek Is "alpaha. which means
"Spring creek ana Was - given he
cause Of the numerous springs there,
Palaha i Neg rerce word, and
means brush creek, from patton.
brush" because formerly the brushes
were very thick on H.
Asotin il from the Nez rerce wor,i
"haShotin. which means eel creek,
from the abundance OF eels IN it
Yellow Hawks creek. Waila Walls
county. comes from CayuSc Indian
chief OF that name. whose Indian
name MAS Peiumromusmus, which
meant yellow hawk. or eagle
rAxSa< Whitman county, IS NeE