1.
Prior to entering into negotiations with the Makah, the United States government was well aware that their people had lived around Cape Flattery for several thousand years and that they subsisted primarily on whale, seal, and fish. When the United States territorial Governor, Isaac Stevens arrived at Neah Bay in December of 1855, he entered into three days of negotiations with our leaders. They made it clear to him that while they were prepared to cede their lands to the United States, they wanted guarantees of their traditional rights on the ocean and specifically of the right to take whale. The Treaty minutes record Governor Stevens as saying to the Makahs: "The Great Father knows what whalers you are—how you go far to sea to take whale. Far from wanting to stop you, he will help you—sending implements and barrels to try the oil."
Whaling has been one of the Makah's traditions for over 1,500 years and is a right secured to them by a treaty with the United States. The Makah tribe agreed to give up its rights to hundreds of thousands of acres of land on the Olympic Peninsula. In return, the United States promised to secure to the Makah the right to engage in whaling.The Makah's had to stop whaling in the 1920's due to the scarcity of gray whales. Their full recovery to pre-commercial whaling levels and 1994 removal from the Endangered Species List made it possible to resume the hunt. There has been an intensification of interest in our own history and culture since the archeological dig at our village of Ozette in 1970, which uncovered thousands of artifacts bearing witness to our whaling tradition. Many Makah feel that our health problems result, in some degree, to the loss of our traditional diet of seafood and marine mammal meat.
2.
In 1999 the Makah's successfully hunted their first grey whale since 1926. In keeping with tradition they used hand thrown harpoons and traditional canoes for this hunt. Conservationists where present in motor boats as well as the coast guard. There were news crews in helicopters photographing the hunt. The Makah's have said that all the hype was like having your Sunday mass interrupted. Since this hunt there hasn't been another legal successful hunt of grey whales. In 2007 five tribal members shot a grey whale but the coast guard cut it loose and arrested the five members for illegal whaling. The tribe is still waiting for approval to hunt grey whales.
4.
This short video talks about to the desire of the Makah tribe to return to their traditions and whaling. Many tribes gathered on the day of their successful hunt to celebrate the return of the Makah tribe to their culture.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment