Tillamook

The Tillamook are a Native American tribe from the state of Oregon. The word Tillamook means "people of Nekelim" in the Chinook language. Also, Tillamook can mean "Land of Many Waters" but it is not as widely used. Tillamook can also be spelled Calamox, Gillamooks, and Killamook.

Language

The Tillamook tribe used to speak Tillamook. After a while they learned to speak English. The last person that spoke Tillamook died in 1970. This made the Tillamook language gone forever. Starting in 1965, a group of scientists tried to protect the Tillamook language by talking with the Tillamook people and creating a Tillamook language dictionary.

History

The Tillamook tribe used to live between the Necanicum River and Tillamook Bay. The Tillamook were coastal Native Americans. Their name, Tillamook, means "Land of Many Waters" in their language. The first Tilamook people lived around the 1400s. In the 1700s, the population was counted at about 2200 people.