Cowlitz

American  

[kou-lits] / ˈkaʊ lɪts /

noun

plural

Cowlitzes,

plural

Cowlitz

1. a river in southwestern Washington State, flowing west and south to the Columbia River. 130 miles (209 km) long.

2. a county in southwestern Washington State. 1,166 sq. mi. (3,021 sq. km).

3. a member of either of two tribes of Indigenous people of western Washington State traditionally living around the Cowlitz River, the lower tribe speaking a Salishan language and the upper tribe gradually adopting a Sahaptin language through intermarriage with Sahaptin people.

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Etymology

Origin of Cowlitz

First recorded in 1830–40; a collective geographical term applied by Europeans to several ethnically and linguistic different groups of Indigenous peoples of the Cowlitz River Basin in western Washington State

Example Sentences

Until Cowlitz found the Chapter House, he could only dream of these spaces from the past.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024

Cowlitz would go on to join the community center’s board, with hopes to reignite the young Indigenous creative scene.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024

The nonprofit has raised $1.7 million of its $6.1 million goal for phase 1 through sources including the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation, the Murdock Foundation, the Washington State Conservation and Recreation Office and individual donations.

From Seattle Times • May 18, 2024

As a Cowlitz elder, Wilcox carries on Indigenous traditions like beadwork, drum making and weaving with plant-based materials such as red cedar, sweet grass and beargrass.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

All the canoes have gathered here, each packed with visitors from all over—the Snoqualmie, the Cowlitz, the Swinomish.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day