Makah Whaling: Counting Sides

All sides continue to disagree about the direction that the Makah should take concerning the hunting and killing of gray whales. (See last two Stump Talks.) It turns out there at least three sides for the Makah and at least two sides for environmentalists. The Makah Tribal Council wants to whale hunt and possibly trade whale parts with the Japanese. Some tribal elders don't want whaling at all. Makah traditionalists want whaling only as it was done 70 years ago. Some environmentalists want no commercial whaling and others want no whaling at all.

Keith Johnson, President of the Makah Whaling Commission, believes that it is more humane to kill the whale with the .50 caliber rifle than by traditional methods and has stated that the Commission will make sure that all whale parts left on the beach will be taken care of--this could include trading with the Japanese. (Whale meat goes for about $80 a kilogram in Japan, or about one million dollars per gray whale.) The Makah Tribal Council has steadfastly maintained that they wish to hunt gray whales in order to revive their ancient traditions and reclaim their cultural identity, but even Makah fisheries manager Dave Sones has said that the tribe hopes to do some commercial whaling in the future.

Makah tribal member Binki Thompson, 74, has chosen to speak out against the hunt along with six other tribal elders who have expressed discontent and concern with the decision to allow the resumption of the tribal practice of whaling. Binki has said that the bottom line is money.

Disagreements between traditional elders and their formal tribal governments are not uncommon. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1935 forced all U.S. tribes to take on a corporate form of government, replacing the various forms of traditional tribal governments that inherently gave elders a great influence. The tribal council model was used first specifically to facilitate resource extraction--at the time, coal deposits on Navajo land, a mining operation that even six decades later polarizes tribal businessmen and the elders at Big Mountain.

If the Makah resume their whaling traditions, will this further the aims of the commercial whalers? Will all those that can claim to be traditional whalers worldwide also make such a claim and thus be able to "trade" whale parts? The Makah have whaled for at least 2,000 years, the Norwegians for approximately 1,000 and the Japanese for at least 500. Will the tribes to the north resume their whaling also? This could lead to a large industry of whaling, all under the guise of traditional whaling.

The Makah (who call themselves Ko-ditch-ee-ot, which means People of the Cape) are part of the Nuu-cha-nulth culture that extends north to Vancouver Island, Canada. They were regarded as the best indigenous whalers on the West Coast. Whale hunting was central to the Makah cultural identity. The blubber, bones and by-products from the whales enabled the Makah to prosper. Extensive spiritual rituals, lasting several months, included fasting, sexual abstinence, self-flagellation and prayers were performed in preparation for the whale hunt. These preparations were considered essential before the select few whalers went to sea. In a tight tribal hierarchy, it was the whaling families who had the greatest power to rule as chiefs.

The Old Makah needed to whale to survive. Today's Makah do not. Even with an IWC quota they can regain all their whaling tradition and ritual, but just not kill any whales. Everyone but Japan and Norway would applaud that, and all the Makah would profit greatly. They need tribal pride, restored cultural values, and a greater independence from the impoverishing ways imposed on them from outside. They need a Tribal Council that will lead them to a secure future, not lock them in a continuing contest with nations and people all over the world. They deserve to restore and protect their culture, and display it proudly.

The white people owe it all to the first peoples of this land. Everything we have, we have stolen from them--the land, the forests, and the fish in the sea. If Native Americans had been in charge of taking care of this land, there would be no decision to make because we would have plenty of everything. The Makah deserve to be and should be the ones to decide whether to whale or not--but with the internal battle (the "council" essentially set up by the U.S. government, and the tribal elders essentially shut out by the feds' formation of tribal governments), will there be a just decision-making process? The tradition is gone; can it be brought back? It is up to the Makah to decide in their traditional way--not a method imposed or influenced by any outside body.

There will be a forum in Port Townsend on September 8th on the Makah whaling. Contact Heather Harding at 360-379-4861 for more information. Stump Talk is put out every other week by a few ecofreaks. If you want to help out or have an article to submit contact NW Forest Action Group, 206-632-2954, email can@scn.org.