Yakama

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Native American tribe of the Sahaptin-speaking peoples living in south-central Washington State along the Columbia River
2. An indigenous North American nation whose members historically inhabited the Columbia Plateau region of present-day Washington State
3. A federally recognized tribe based on a reservation in central Washington whose ancestors lived along the Columbia and Yakima rivers

Etymology: "Yakama" is the name of a people of the Columbia Plateau in south-central Washington, who call themselves Ichiskíin in their own Sahaptin language. The name was applied from outside and entered English mainly as a proper noun for the tribe and its reservation. Its meaning is not settled. Scholars have proposed explanations tied to Sahaptin words, but none is established beyond doubt, so any single translation is uncertain. The spelling split is also a matter of usage: the tribe writes "Yakama," while the river and the city use "Yakima."