Skokomish

[ skoh-koh-mish, skuh- ]

noun

, plural Sko·ko·mish·es, (especially collectively) Sko·ko·mish

1. a member of an Indigenous people of western Washington State.
2. Also called Twa·na [twah, -n, uh]. the Salishan language of the Skokomish.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Skokomish or their language.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Skokomish¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from Skokomish sqwuqwóʔbəš, equivalent to sqwuqwóʔ “river” + -bəš (from earlier -məš ) “people”

Example Sentences

About half the waterways where it spawned — spanning the Skokomish River on the canal to the Dungeness River near Sequim — lost their entire runs, according to the University of Washington’s Puget Sound Institute.

From Seattle Times

The Skokomish Tribe, descendants of the Twana peoples, called the canal tuwaduq sidaqʷ — the “Twana people’s saltwater,” according to Tom Strong, the tribe’s vice chair and CEO.

From Seattle Times

Joseph Pavel, director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Skokomish Indian Tribe, said the unpermitted construction is indicative of “ongoing micro-colonialism of developing and trying to own the landscape.”

From Seattle Times

Major rivers empty into it, including the Skokomish, Dosewallips and Big Quilcene.

From Seattle Times

Hardening the shoreline sets back restoration work being done to bring these waters to healthier conditions, said Dave Herrera, a member of the Leadership Council, the governing body of the state Puget Sound Partnership, and policy adviser for the Natural Resources Department of the Skokomish Tribe.

From Seattle Times