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October 13, 1999__________________________ C j o C U s T > __________________________________
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Whale Hunting Our
Makah Right!
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By Neuee Vitalis and Edith Hottowe,
members of the Makah tribe
The practice o f whale hunting is
essential to our people.
According to M akah legend, the
W hale w as b ro u g h t by the
Thunderbird. a mythical creature to
feed our people because they were
starving.
Every year in Mid-August, we hold
a potlatch (special gathering) to rec
ognize and honor the treaty that was
signed by Governor Isaac Stevens
and the Pacific Northwest Indian tribes
in 185 5. Our legal right to hunt whales
was part o f that agreement. Exercis
ing that right is a celebration o f our
culture and protecting it is impera
tive. Our ancestors reserved those
rights so that the future generations
would also depend upon the sea for
food as they did.
Since the 1920’s, we had stopped
whaling. W e knew w e were going to
again
someday. We resumed the prac
tice in May with a tribal whale hunt
that was open to the public. This
month, a M akah family will be cho
sen and given the privilege by the
Whaling Commission in our commu
A Traditional Makah Whaler in 1915.
nity.
Photo co u rte s y o f Edw ard S. C u rtis and th e P o rtla n d A rt
To hunt is a personal choice and a
M useum.
serious one.
The whalers undergo vigorous
to do the best w e can to pre
whale hunt and potlatch that followed
training that takes m any days. Part o f
was a celebration o f life changes. It serve it.
it involves fasting, praying and bath
M akahs have alw ays been a
unified the com m unities o f native
ing themselves for the occasion. Tra-
sovereign
people w ith a right to
people and kept our cultural ties
ditionally, they bathe in streams and
our own destiny through self-
strong. T here w ere m any that took
whip themselves with nettle or hem
great pride in being there. It brought governm ent and self-determ i
lock to remove any human smells that
about a great resurgence o f feel nation. W e w ill alw ays hold
the whale may pick up. It is custom
fast and strong to that because
ings o f w hat it w as like for our
ary to use the most efficient means o f
ancestors. W e value that. T hey left as our people have said, “this is
catching the whales.
us w ith such a legacy that w e w ant w hat you m ust d o .”
During the last hunt, a small
30 ton grey whale cam e up to
the surface and stayed there for
the whalers to catch. W e be
lieved that it was done out o f
self-sacrifice, knowing that we
would honorit. O nce the whale
was caught, it took the women
5 days to render the oil, cut up
the meat and prepare it for 5,000
Let us m eet your
guests. The villagers o f long
Business,
Entertainm
ent and Individual
ago would welcome the whale
C olor C opying and G raphic Needs!
as a guest and divided it up
among themselves. They ate
the skin and blubber, used the
blubber oil as a dip for dried
Bring in this flier to receive Tightwad Tuesday Diacount Thu promotion applies io »and paper sire
fish, used the sinews to make
<8.Jx 11) only Limited to Tueadaya. And valid through October 1999 Quantity is not limited
rope, fashioned the intestines
Contact Vemell Weal for additional information
into bags to store oil, and shaped
(503) 493-6027. L o cal«/ at 399 N .E. W yrant, Portland. Oregon.
the bones into tools.The tribal
Say It With Color
When Color Says it Better
®E0
_________ Tightwad Tuesday_________
69 cents color copy day
■
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The Cultural Diversity Series is for thepreser-
vation o f Indigenous and traditional cultures
and the ageless wisdom held dear by their people.
The Makah Treaty
T he fo llo w in g a r tic le is an e x c e rp t ta k e n
from th e tre a ty b e tw ee n th e fe d e ra l g o v e rn
m ent and th e M akah trib e in 1 855.
A R T IC L E 3. The rig h t o f ta k in g fish at
all u su a l and a c c u sto m e d g ro u n d s and s t a
tio n s is se c u re d to said In d ia n s in com m on
w ith all c itiz e n s o f th e T e r r ito r y , and o f
e re c tin g te m p o ra ry h o u se s for the p u rp o se
o f c u rin g the sam e; to g e th e r w ith the p r i v i
leg e o f h u n tin g , g a th e rin g ro o ts and b e r
rie s , and p a s tu rin g th e ir h o rse s on all open
and u n c la im e d la n d s. P ro v id e d , h o w ever.
T h at th e y sh a ll not ta k e s h e ll- f is h from any
b ed s sta k e d or c u ltiv a te d by c itiz e n s ; and
p ro v id e d , a ls o , th a t th ey sh a ll a lte r all
s ta llio n s n o t in te n d e d fo r b re e d in g , and
k eep up and c o n fin e th e s ta llio n s th e m
s e lv e s .
LO C A L HO T SP O T
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