Adeline Smith

Adeline Smith was an American elder, lexicographer, activist, and cultural preservationist. She was a member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, one of four indigenous Klallam communities in the Pacific Northwest. Smith was one of the last two native speakers of the Klallam language who spoke it as her first language. Smith spearheaded efforts to revive the Klallam language. Adeline Smith created the first Klallam alphabet with Timothy Montler, a professor of linguistics at the University of North Texas. Smith and Montler also developed the first Klallam dictionary, which was published in December 2012. She contributed 12,000 words and phrases to the dictionary, making her the largest contributor to the collection. Her revitalization work has proven successful, as the Klallam language is now taught to public and private students from preschool through high school. Smith also championed the preservation of Tse-whit-zen, a historic Lower Elwha village which dates back to approximately 2,700 years, and the restoration of the Elwha River. The removal of the dams, beginning in September 2011, drained Lake Aldwell reservoir, which had been created before she was born.