Makah: Encyclopedia II - Makah - Way of life

Makah - Way of life

There is much known about the way of life of the ancient Makah. Like other Native American cultures there is an abundance of oral tradition. But unlike others, there is also an abundance of archeological evidence of how these people lived their lives. In the early 1700s a mudslide completely engulfed a Makah village near Lake Ozette. The mudslide came suddenly in the night and took most unaware, preserving an entire village for centuries. While excavating the Ozette dig, remains of people were found in their beds with the tools they used every day laying close by.

Unlike the plains Indians, coastal Indians had no need for horses or teepees or other means of mobility enabling them to follow herds. The ancient Makah lived in cedar long houses and inhabited villages. They used dug-out cedar canoes for transportation. There was a good supply of food and they only need to venture out into the waves to get it. They ate whale, seal, orca, otter, salmon, shell fish and lots of other foods from the sea as well as from the nearby forests.

The Makah Museum in Neah Bay houses the 60,000 or so artifacts from the Ozette dig and is considered the nation's finest tribal museum, with extensive details about their culture. For example, the Makah had an ingenious way of boiling water. They had no metal working technologies and no metal pots, they couldn't simply set a cedar basket on a fire and wait for the water to boil. They placed rocks in a hot fire and when they were almost red hot, they would pick them out of the fire with sticks and drop them into the basket. Other technologies they possessed were tailoring, tanning, wood working, bone working, and are believed to be the first humans ever to whale. They are closely related to the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples of Vancouver Island, who share a similar whaling tradition.

The Makah whaling technique is difficult and labor-intensive. From cedar canoes, each seating six to nine people, they hunt in their ocean territories on the open Pacific. Various traditional criteria are applied to determine the best whale to harvest. By counting the whale's exhalations, the hunters are able to determine when the whale is about to dive, and this is used to determine the best time to strike. Paddling to the whale's left side, the hunter strikes when the whale is 3-4 feet deep, to avoid the force of the whale's tail. The harpoon is 16-18 feet long, composed of two pieces of yew wood spliced together. For millenia, a mussel shell tip was used, in conjunction with elk horn barbs. In recent times, a steel "yankee style" head is used, but the yew wood shaft is still employed, due to its superior flexibility, water resistance, and strength. Held fast to the whale, the harpoon shaft comes loose, to be recovered later, and a line with seal skin (in later years nylon) floats attached is thrown from the canoe, to provide sufficient drag to weaken the whale. In the past, a series of smaller lances were used to repeatedly strike the whale, gradually weakening and killing it, often over a period of hours. Recently, this technique has been greatly improved by the addition of a .50 calibre rifle (mandated by the IWC) which is used following the harpoon strike to ensure a much quicker, more efficient kill, reducing the time of death to minutes. When the whale has been killed, a crew member called the 'diver' jumps into the water, and cuts a hole through the bottom and top of the whales jaw, to which a tow line and float is attached. This holds the whales mouth shut, to prevent the carcass from filling with water and sinking.

The whale is towed to shore, and received by members of the village: traditional ceremonies and songs are performed to welcome the whale's spirit. Following this, the whale is divided in a precise and traditional fashion, with certain families having ownership of particular cuts. The "saddle piece" located midway between the center of the back and the tail is the property of the harpooner, and it is taken to his home where a special ceremony is performed. The meat and oil is distributed to community members, and a great deal of it is consumed during potlatch.

Makah oral history relates that the tradition of whaling has been suspended and re-established numerous times throughout their history. Most recently, the practice was suspended in the 1920's due to the depletion of humpback and gray whale stocks by the coastal whaling industry. It was revived again in 1999, and the Makah successfully took one gray whale, despite intense opposition from a number of animal rights groups.

The Makah's right to whale is guaranteed in the 1855 "Treaty with the Makah", which states in part: "The right of taking fish an of whaling or sealing at usual and accustomed grounds and stations is further secured to said Indians in common with all citizens of the United States".

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Way of life", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki