While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Klamath. A word of uncertain
origin but probably used first by Columbia River or other outside tribes.
Their own name is máklaks, meaning
"people," "community." They are also called:
Afgspaluma, abbreviated to Afgspalo, Afspalu; Nez Percé
name for all Indians on Klamath Reservation and in the vicinity, meaning
"people of the chipmunks."
Alámmimakt ish (from ala'mmig,
"Upper Klamath Lake"), said to be the Achomawi name.
Athlámeth, Calapooya name.
Aúlksiwash, in Yreka dialect of
Shasta.
Dak'-ts!aam-al-ae or Dak`-ts!aaw-an-a'e,
"those above the lakes," by the Takelma.
É-ukshik-ni máklaks,
meaning "people of the lakes," also their own name.
Makaftserk, by the western Shasta.
Paíkni, collective name for
Klamath, Modoc, and Snakes on Sprague River.
Sáyi, Northern Paiute name.
Tapáadji, Ilmawi name.
Wols, name given by the Latgawa.
Connections. Together
with the Modoc, the Klamath constituted the Lutuamian division of the
Shapwailutan linguistic family.
Location. On Upper
Klamath Lake, Klamath Marsh, and Williamson and Sprague Rivers.
Subdivisions and Villages
These are given as follows by
Spier (1930), maintaining his order:
I. ă'ukckni (the
Klamath marsh-Williamson River group), with the following villages: mŭ'tcuia'ksi
(near the bridge toward the eastern end of Klamath marsh),
k'Etaiwa's (along the eastern side of the marsh),
gŭpgŭa'ksi,
(east side of Klamath marsh south of last),
i'wal (along a southeastern tongue of the marsh),
kla'djǔksi (ibid.), du`ǐlķŭt
(on the south shore of Klamath marsh),
awa'lwaskăn (west of preceding),
wa'ktale's (on the higher ground where Williamson River leaves the marsh),
la'laks (ibid.),
lobŏ'kstsŏksi
(on the bluff on the left bank of the Sprague River at the railroad
bridge) called by Gatschet (1891 b)
ktaí-tú-pakshi),
an unnamed site (on the south side of Sprague River below the dam),
ķ!ŏtcwă'ĕts
(about 2 miles above the dam on the south bank of Sprague River), komă'ĕksi
(on both sides of Sprague River south of Braymill, 4 miles from
Chiloquin),
ka'umkăn (about 6 miles above last),
[Yainax] (settlements of some sort near here),
hǐcdǐcluĕ'lukc
(west of Gearhart Mountain),
bEzŭkse'was (on the right bank of
Williamson River below the mouth of Sprague River), takalma'kcda (on the
right bank of Williamson River below preceding), k'tai'di (on a flat
opposite last mentioned),
djǐgiă's
(below last two on both sides of river),
k!o'ltawas (on both banks below preceding but principally on left bank),
at'awǐkc (below last, principally on
right bank),
ya'ak (right bank below preceding),
tsa'k'wi (below last, principally on right),
wǐtă'mŭmpsi
(on a high bluff on the right bank above an eddy in the sharp bend in the
river),
goyEmske'Egǐs or kiEke'tsŭs
(on right bank below last),
wEla'lksi (on the eastern shore of Agency Lake),
loķ'o'gŭt
(on the higher land near Agency Lake by a little warm spring),
tcŏ'klalŭmps
(overlooks the lake where the Chiloquin road meets the Agency Lake
highway), "other towns may have been at ya'mzi, on the western side of
Yamsay Mountain, and kokenă'oke,
Spring Creek, a large northern affluent of Klamath marsh."
II. kowa'cdikni, perhaps part of the first division,
occupying: kowa'cdi (on Agency Lake).
III. du'kwakni (on the delta of Williamson River),
affiliated most closely with the next division, and including:
mo'aksda (on the left bank of Williamson River nearly a mile above the
mouth), wǐckămdi
(below the preceding on the right bank),
la'wa'lstŏt (on the point forming the
right side of the mouth of Williamson River),
mo'giŋkŭnks
(on the left bank of Williamson River a quarter of a mile above the
mouth),
djǐŋgŭs
(at a spring on the lake front to the east of the mouth of Williamson
River).
IV. gu'mbŏtkni (on
Pelican Bay and the marsh to the north) including:
sle'tsksi (on the west side of Seven Mile Creek near its mouth),
wudŏ'kăn
(in the marsh a mile from the last and east of Seven Mile Creek), iwŭnau'ts
(on the western side of a little creek emptying into Klamath Lake 2 miles
east of Recreation P. O., and extending along the marsh shore to the
northern side of Pelican Bay),
dŭnŏ'ksi
(an open space overlooking the northern end of Pelican Bay),
e'o'ķai (a few hundred yards up Four
Mile Creek on the left bank),
wa`1ŏ'kdi (above the last mentioned on
the opposite side of the creek),
waķ'a'k (south of the high ridge south
of Odessa),
gai'1ŏks or gaila'llis (on the point
south of Odessa, or more probably between Howard and Shoalwater Bays),
stŏ'kmate (at Eagle Point); to which
should perhaps be added: e'o'ķaķ
(on Wood River, toward the mountains), and e'uķwa'lksi
(on the east side of Wood River, and possibly the same site as the other).
V. iu'la'loŋkni (the
people of Klamath Falls (Link River) and the eastern shore of Klamath
Lake), including the following villages:
kEt!ai'ksi (extending southward from a promontory 2 miles or so northwest
of Modoc Point),
suwiakă'ĕks
(at Modoc Point),
iulă'u (on the east side of Klamath
Lake),
diu'wiaks (at the railroad point Ouxy),
ķau'ŏmŏt
(a half mile south of the preceding on the lake shore),
dǐ'tk!aks (at a hot spring known as
Barclay Spring near the last mentioned),
kŏlwa'l (at Rattlesnake Point at
Algoma),
wuķ!o'twas (on Buck Island in Klamath
Lake),
lama'tcksi (on the point east of Buck Island),
k!su'nk!si (threefourths of a mile south of the preceding on the shore of
Klamath Lake),
iwau'wŏne (on both sides of Link River
at the highway bridge),
iu"laloŋe (at the mouth of Klamath
River),
wĕķă'ĕls (on the shore of Klamath Lake
a mile west of the mouth of Klamath River)wut!ana'kŏķls
(at one end of a little marsh (now drained) on the west side of Klamath
Lake),
iup!a'tŏna (at the other end of the
same marsh),
woksa'lks (on the north shore of Wokas marsh near Klamath Lake),
dĕ'ktcŏŋks
(on the west shore of Klamath Lake opposite Buck Island), sa'stǐtķa'wals
(at Squaw Point).
Population. Mooney (1928)
estimated the Klamath at 800 in 1780 but Spier (1930) raises this to
1,200. In 1905, including former slaves and members of other tribes more
or less assimilated with them, they numbered 755. The census of 1910
returned 696. In 1923 there were 1,201 Indians under the Klamath
Superintendency including Klamath, Modoc, and other Indians. In 1930,
2,034 were returned as Klamath and Modoc. In 1937 the United States Office
of Indian
Affairs reported 1,912 Klamath.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The name Klamath is
perpetuated by Klamath Lake, Klamath County, and the town of Klamath
Falls, Klamath County, Oreg.; by Klamath River, Oreg. and Calif.; and by a
village in Humboldt County, Calif.
