NEAH BAY(May 11, 2005) – When the Makah people signed the treaty of Neah Bay 150 years ago, they reserved the right to fish, whale, seal, hunt and gather in all of their traditional places in exchange for a large part the Olympic Peninsula.
Six years ago, the tribe harvested their first gray whale in nearly a century, resurrecting a cultural cornerstone and celebrating a treaty-protected right.
On Saturday, the tribe will observe the 150th anniversary of their treaty, noting promises made, kept and unfulfilled. The sixth anniversary of the harvest of the single gray whale will be celebrated, but tempered by knowledge that the tribe must continue to fight to exercise their treaty right to whale. More than 2,000 tribal members and guests are expected at the ceremonies beginning at noon in the high school gym.
“It’s a tribute to our ancestors that they were able to make sure the things most important to us were reserved,” said Micah McCarty, Makah tribal councilman and whaling commission member. “At the time of the signing, one by one, tribal members would come up and say, ‘If you take away the sea, I am a poor man. I can’t have the whale, I can’t have the halibut.’ They made sure we could fish, go whaling and sealing as we always had. That’s who we are – we are people of the sea.”
The youth of the tribe will be a focal point of the ceremony. “It’s important that they understand the power of the treaty and see what their elders have done to move the tribe forward. Some of them will begin to shoulder the responsibility for the next generation soon,” said McCarty. “We have work to do to continue to secure the promises in the treaty – our right to harvest whales is still being blocked. We have great unmet needs in health care and education, obligations outlined in the treaties.”
As part of a recent treaty symposium held in Olympia, Makah teens wrote about the importance of keeping the songs and the culture alive as well as being educated so they could protect the treaty rights.
“It was so impressive to read those essays,” said Debbie Wachendorf, Makah councilman. Six of the teens read their compositions during the symposium. “People were crying as the teens read. Our youth are helping us celebrate what our forefathers negotiated for our people – they secured our fishing, whaling and hunting rights so we could survive,” said Wachendorf.
“It’s important that we educate people about the treaties,” said Ben Johnson, tribal chairman. “This ceremony helps us celebrate and educate.”
Saturday’s events will include presentations by former tribal chairs George Bowechop and Ed Claplanhoo. All past council members, Makah Days royalty, and veterans will also be honored. “Our veterans are symbols of the promises we made when we signed the treaties. We kept our promises to protect both our own people and the people of the United States,” said McCarty.
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For more information, contact: Debbie Preston, Coastal Information Officer, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, (360) 374-5501, [email protected].
Makah Tribal Council, (360) 645-3235.
