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

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

With both the Makah and Shoalwater Bay reservations on the Pacific Ocean, they are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, the lawsuits state.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2023

“We’re definitely grateful,” said Nate Tyler, the treasurer of the Makah Tribe, whose coastal reservation in Washington State is increasingly exposed to flooding.

From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2022

Mom is Makah; she grew up in Neah Bay, in the northwestern edge of Washington State.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day