The Makah Whale Hunt

Alx Dark, April 1999

This article attempts to summarize the recent conflict over Makah plans to return to whale hunting. The Makah are the southernmost Nootkan-speaking peoples on the Northwest Coast, and the only Native Americans in the continental United States with a treaty-protected right to whale. Their return to whaling has been resisted by whaling opponents. This article expresses the views of the author alone; for the views of the Makah Indian Nation and whaling opponents, I refer you to resources in the endnotes of this article. I am not a Makah person and I am not affiliated in any way with the Makah Indian Nation. E-mail sent to me will never make it to the Makah people.

Please note that many other questions and issues have been delegated to the endnotes, which are fully the length of the article itself. The computer screen makes for difficult reading so I have kept this case study as short as possible. Before you contact me with questions or comments, read the endnotes. I will not respond to questions or comments that are addressed in the notes.

Table of Contents

1. Background
2. The Return to Whaling
3. Whaling Opponents
4. Whaling Protests
5. Arguments Against the Hunt
6. “Eco-Colonialism”
7. Endnotes

Further Resources

Bibliography

Web resources

The Makah Whaling Commission (MWC). This organization does not have a web site. The following three documents provide a good view of the MWC’s position on the hunt:

• An open letter to the public from the President of the Makah Whaling Commission;
• The MWC’s Management Plan for Gray Whale Hunting; and
• An MWC whale hunt fact sheet.

Whaling Opponents. There are numerous sites opposing Makah whale hunting. Here are a few good places start:

• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (marine mammal conservation);
• Cetacean Society International (marine mammal conservation);
• West Coast Anti-Whaling Society (whale-watching operators).

Circulated for comments on April 1st to: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Cetacean Society International, West Coast Anti-Whaling Society, the Makah Whaling Commission, the Makah Cultural and Research Center and Jennifer Aradanas. The author would like to thank Jennifer Aradanas for comments on this work.