In the area of placenames, some of the terms recorded by Lewis & Clark (hereafter L & C) have entered general usage since their day, sometimes with altered spellings examples are Cathlamet, Clackamas, Clatsop, Multnomah, and Wahkiakum (Oregon and Washington, from Chinookan). In the present paper, I am concerned with these last two categories. These words include names of plants and animals, personal names of Native American leaders, names of places, and names for ethnic groups. Not the least important aspect of this contact was linguistic, as Lewis & Clark wrote down, with the help of interpreters, words from such languages as Lakhota (Sioux), Mandan, Hidatsa, Salish, Nez Perce, and Chinookan. For toponyms currently in use, information is also given regarding state, county, and present-day English pronunciation.Ĭurrent celebrations of the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark Expedition have drawn renewed attention to the contact of those explorers with the Native American populations along their route. This article presents a glossary of all such terms, giving etymologies from the Native languages. In later days, Native American names were also applied to some places to which Lewis & Clark had given English names. The published journals of the Lewis & Clark expedition, dating from the period 1804–1806, contain many Native American names of places and tribes, some of which entered English usage for the first time through these records. (This article first appeared in Names 52:3 :163–237.)
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