Language
Clatsop in the original language is La t cap, which means "placed of dried salmon". Apparently "Clatsop" was originally the name of a single settlement.
The Clatsop dialect used by the tribe is a nearly-extinct dialect of the Lower Chinookan language. Most Clatsops spoke Chinook Jargon and some spoke a dialect of Nehalem, by the time Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery made contact with them.
Chinook Jargon is a trade language, and was once used throughout much of the Pacific Northwest. Many place names in the area come from the Chinook Jargon, for example, Neakahnie Mountain — "The Mountain", and Ecola Creek and Park — "whale".
Read more about this topic: Clatsop People
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