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Meaning & History
A variant of Yakama, the name of the Yakama peoples from the Washington state area of the United States. Scholars disagree on the origins of the name Yakama. The Sahaptin words e-yak-ma means "a growing family", and iyakima, means "pregnant ones". Other scholars note the word, yákama, which means “black bear,” or ya-ki-ná, which means “runaway”.A noted bearer is Yakima Canutt (1895 - 1986), an American rodeo rider, actor, stuntman and action director, likely best known as legendary American actor John Wayne's stunt double.This name is not used by Native Americans.