Thompson River Salish people

Nlaka'pamux

Members of a Nlaka’pamux community, circa 1914.
Total population
(5,000 (2007))
Regions with significant populations
Canada ( British Columbia),  United States ( Washington)
Languages
English, Nlaka'pamuctsin
Religion
Christianity (Anglicanism and Catholicism), Animism
Related ethnic groups
Okanagan, Nicola people, Nicola Athapaskans

The Nlaka'pamux or Nlakapamuk (/ɪŋkləˈkæpmə/ ing-klə-KAP-mə; Salish [nɬeʔképmx]), also previously known as the Thompson, Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people, and historically as the Klackarpun,Haukamaugh, Knife Indians and Couteau Indians, are an indigenous First Nations people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia. Their traditional territory includes parts of the North Cascades region of Washington.

Frontier-era histories and maps transliterate the name Nlaka'pamux as Hakamaugh or Klackarpun; they were also known as the Couteau, Kootomin or Knife Indians. In the dialect of the Thompson language used by the Ashcroft Indian Band, the variant Nl'akapxm is used.

The Nlaka'pamux of the Nicola Valley, who are all in the Nicola Tribal Association reserves refer to themselves Scw'exmx and speak a different dialect of the Thompson language. Together with the Spaxomin people, a branch of the Okanagan people (Syilx) who live in the upper Nicola valley and also belong to the Nicola Tribal Association, they are collectively known as the Nicola people, or Nicolas.