Continued Whaling by the Makah Indians in Neah Bay
Matthew Hirst
English 402
December 14, 2000
Continued Whaling by the Makah Indians in Neah Bay
Problems of the Makah
International animal rights activists have argued that whaling by the Makah Indians in Neah Bay will have adverse effects environmentally in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Animal rights activists claim removing "resident whales" or whales that do not migrate off the Olympic coast that have been taken off the endangered species list still warrant reevaluation of the treaty signed by the Makah Indians in 1855. The definition of a “resident whale” changes from season to season and region to region. It is almost impossible to determine what a “resident whale” is. A gray whale may only stay in one location for one season during one year, yet activists claim such a whale is “resident.” There is no real clear definition of which whales they should hunt.
Activists also claim that allowing the Makah to hunt whales may instigate a desire for other tribes throughout U.S. and Canada to begin whaling and further bring the whale population down. "The fact is that the North Pacific gray whale population is either at or above recorded historic levels," (The News Tribune, B7). The gray whale population is estimated to be around 26,000 to 27,000.
Makah Indians in Neah Bay Washington have been threatened, misunderstood and had their property vandalized since the gray whales have come off the endangered species list in 1994 and started being hunted by the Makah in 1998. Educating laypersons in the current statistics of whale population the efficiency at which the whale is being used will ease ethic tensions and comprehend the need for hunting whales as a cultural significance.
The main problem with the Makah Indians whaling in Neah Bay is the lack of knowledge by others concerning the subject. There are not enough coordinated efforts between the Makah and other government agencies to study and identify the true migratory patterns of the gray whale.
If people knew other, more dangerous, factors that threaten the gray whales, they might concentrate efforts elsewhere and consider the fact that whaling by the Makah Indians is really an insignificant issue.
The Makah Indians have been granted 20 whales in a 4-year period, while places like Russia have been granted 120 whales. Japan is also allowed to hunt. Both Russia and Japan hunt whale for commercial purposes, whereas the Makah only hunt for religious reasons. This paper will analyze the problems facing gray whale population, and offer solutions to ensure the population of the whale is kept high. It will also identify larger threats to the gray whale other than hunting while emphasizing the importance of gray whales to the Makah tribe.
Literature Review
Many animal rights activists have worked from biased or incomplete data regarding the situation are threatening the Indians’ sovereignty in Neah Bay and therefore do not have a total assessment of the situation.
Misunderstanding the Indian culture is an ongoing problem in Northern American society. Whaling has an important significance for Olympic coast Indians in Washington State. Many people do not understand the religious significance animals play in Native Americans lives. The Makah just feel that they have the right to explore their religious heritage and feel that most non-Native people do not understand the importance the gray whale has on the Makah Indians.
There has not been much research done on migratory patterns and significances of the gray whale since the gray whales were removed from the endangered species list only four years before the Makah decided to resume whaling. Organizations such as The World Council of Whalers established in 1997 supports the Makah Indians whaling in the Pacific Ocean, and also supports whaling across the world, but they condone commercial whaling as well. These organizations do more harm to the Makah than good because the Indians are erroneously associated with the original depletion of the whale population to begin with 70 years ago by these commercial whalers.
The treaty of 1855 signed by the Makah gives the Indians legal rights to fish, seal, and whale in Neah Bay. Department of Fish and Wildlife concluded the state has no authority to regulate hunting of gray whales along the state’s coastline. Governor Gary Locke has stated, “We must respect the tribe’s treaty rights to hunt gray whales” (News Tribune, B7). The Makah only get to hunt five gray whales in five years, while the Russians are allowed to hunt 120 whales. Clearly, the survival of whales is in no danger from the minimal hunting by the Makah.
The federal government has no jurisdiction over the Makah to stop whaling, but “Management of gray whales and other marine mammals falls under the authority of the federal Department of Commerce” (News Tribune, B7). The federal government can issue funding for proposed organizations to regulate gray whale activity and numbers. Other nations getting involved with the United States can contribute time and or money to these organizations. These organizations could work in conjunction with Indian officials to coordinate efforts to hunt whales assigned to the Indians in the treaty of 1855.
Analysis
There are many other problems that need to be addressed in order to completely assess the situation in Neah Bay. Whaling is such a small part of the threat to the whale population. The Makah have a legitimate reason to resume whaling in Neah Bay, which will be explained here. There are certain threats to the whale population from whaling, but what needs to be examined here is how much of a threat to whales there is and what can be done to ensure that the hunting and consumption of the whale is done in strict accordance with the law.
Law prohibits harassing gray whales in Washington State. The term harassment is any action to pursue, torment, or annoy a marine mammal, which threatens to injure this mammal. Whale watching can have harmful effects on migratory patterns in gray whales such as whale watching ships diverting the original path of the whales, to an offshore pattern which can have effects with feeding patterns. Also, displacing the calf from the cow in deeper and more wide open waters with these same whale watching ships can harm migratory patterns in the new generations of whales moving north or south for the first time in their lives.
Since the Makah are required to follow certain rules regarding the gray whales, spectators should be bound by the same rules. The coast guard, Greenpeace, and other anti-whaling organizations should keep their distance from the whales in order to limit the extent of damage to migratory patterns and keep the calf and cow together so each generation of whales will not be rerouted and forced to eat in different areas, which could be not as abundant as where they feed now.
In an interview with Theresa Schenck, a professor at Washington State University, she stated that Indians all across the country rely on animals as a primary source of religion and tradition. The Makah Indians have the gray whale the same as plains Indians have the buffalo. Although the plains Indians do not have a treaty which grants them rights to hunt buffalo, the animal itself still plays a large part in stories, and tradition that is being passed down through the generations.
If the objectives are met the way proposed in this paper, the whale population in this state and around the world will be strictly monitored to prevent a decrease in gray whale numbers and whaling will still be limited to the Makah Indians. Commercial whaling will not be resumed to inflict harm in the population of gray whales around the world. There will be organizations designated to preserve the integrity of the Makah and respect their right to include the hunting of the gray whale as a part of their religious ceremonies that have been omitted from their lives for 70 years. Similar proposals to foreign nations will asking them to do the same things to regulate and monitor whale populations in other parts of the world. Preservation of the Native American culture across the nation is as important as preserving the heritage of our European founders that forced the Indians to live in reservations in the first place.
In order to understand the importance of whaling to the Makah, the importance of animals to Native Americans must first be defined. Totem poles, a religious statue portraying people and animals together, around the nation depicts animals as symbiotic with humankind. Plains Indians felt a certain closeness to the buffalo, which was an animal in which there entire diet and spirituality revolved around. The Makah Indians have the same relationship with the gray whale as the plains Indians do with the buffalo. Although the hunting of the whale has not been practiced for over seven decades, denying the hunt to a culture trying to revive its ancient religious practices
Solutions
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) expresses their concern for defining which whales can and cannot be hunted. Working with the IWC, the Makah could devise a system of tagging and tracking gray whales to monitor migratory patterns and tell exactly how “resident” a whale really is. The information retrieved from these tags could be shared with the Makah tribe and both Indians and the United States government would be better educated how to keep the whale population as high as it is now and maybe even learn how to better the whale population.
There are four major classifications in which to list animals. One of which is endangered, which means the animal is in danger of becoming extinct. Then there is threatened, which means the listed animal is nearing the point at which it would be classified as endangered. Sensitive ranks an animal as nearing endangered or threatened through a slow loss of population. Classifying an animal as sensitive does not necessarily mean the animal is in danger, it just means that that specific animal should be watched closely to ensure its prosperity. Delisting means that the animal has been removed from any of the other classifications and the animal is prospering well. One possible solution to monitor the gray whale and other animals under the same classification would be to list the whale as sensitive and not just completely remove the animal from the endangered list all together.
Conclusions
Work Cited
Anderson, Peggy. “Locke Sides with Whaling Foes, Will Look into ‘Resident’ Issues.”
Seattle Post- Intelligencer 18 Nov. 1994: C4
Anderson, Peggy. “Makah Become Targets of Death Threats.” Columbian 21 May
1999: B2.
The Associated Press. “Commercial Whaling Backed By World Group Makah Tribe
Hunt Renews Interest.” Seattle Post- Intelligencer 25 May 1999: A1.
The Associated Press. “State Lacks Authority to Regulate Tribes Whale Hunting,
Investigation Concludes.” The News Tribune 25 Nov. 1999.
The Makah Nation. Makah Whaling: Questions and Answers. 25 Oct. 2000
Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Makah Management Plan For Makah Treaty
Gray Whale Hunting For the Years 1998-2002. 25 Oct. 2000 <http://www.nwifc.wa.gov/whaling/whaleplan.html>.
Paws. 2 Jul. 1999. Paws Advocacy Department. 25 Oct. 2000. “Summary and Update
On Litigation to Prevent the U.S. Government from Permitting the Makah Tribe to Slaughter Gray Whales.” <
Makah/updates/4.htm>.
Schenck, Theresa, Dr. “An Interview with Dr. Theresa Schenck.” Oct. 2000.
United States. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Endangered, Threatened,
And Sensitive Wildlife Species Classification.” 16 Jun. 1990.
United States. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Richardson. Scott, A.
Status of the Gray Whale In Washington Mar. 1997.
Westneat, Danny. “Lawsuit: U.S. Worked the Tribe, Ignored Laws in Allowing Whale
Hunt.” Seattle Times Washington Bureau 22 May 1998. <http://
Seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/nation- world/html98/ altmaka_052298.html>.
West Coast Anti-Whaling Society. Anna Hall's Anti-Whaling Update. 25 Oct. 2000 <
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