Makah

American  

[muh-kaw] / məˈkɔ /

noun

plural

Makahs,

plural

Makah

1. a member of an American Indian people of the Olympic Peninsula in northwest Washington.

2. the Wakashan language of the Makah.

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Example Sentences

The king-of-the-salmon got its name from the Makah, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast who believed the species led salmon back to their spawning grounds, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026

Coastal tribes like the Makah, who have lived on the shores for uncounted generations, have begun moving their communities to higher ground.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024

Planning for the poles’ repair, she enlisted Makah carver Greg Colfax, who examined them and says that despite significant decay, they could be restored.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 23, 2023

Inside, the cafe’s latest exhibit spotlights Native artist Naomi Parker of the Chippewa Cree, Yakama and Makah Tribes, who illuminates the power of community through oil paintings.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2023

When Mom was fourteen years old, the Makah Nation hunted a gray whale.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day