Whaling On The Makah

Has the U.S. government ever screwed anyone as badly as it screwed the American Indian? Conventionally, we say "no." The native peoples of our beloved landmass are the reigning champions in that regard and will forever remain so. In there with all of the raw deals, outright lies, forced marches and whatnot, though, is the Makah Nation and the one bone they were able to wrest from the government: ''the right of taking fish and of whaling or sealing at usual and accustomed grounds and stations.'' In 1999 the Makah took a thirty ton gray whale after refraining from the tradition since 1920. Animal rights groups freaked, of course.

Animal rights groups freaked and succeeded in placing a number of obstacles between the Makah and another whale hunt. A court ruled that the National Marine Fisheries have to grant specific permission to the tribe to violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act. So, the Makah have been going about getting that permission and yesterday was the latest in a series of hearings that will determine whether that happens or not.

A description of a similar meeting earlier in October:

Tuesday's meeting in the Naval Reserve Building on Lake Union drew about 120 participants, with anti-whalers outnumbering Native Americans by about 10-to-1.

Ground rules for the session, which broke up into small group discussions, permitted no theatrics and minimized potential confrontations.

Moderators from the fisheries service wrote down participants' comments.

Apparently, animal rights groups are smelling defeat from a legal standpoint and are trying to workshop the Makah ceremonies into something kinder and gentler. "Each time I sit through one of these things I think, 'Why are these people debating the history of my culture?' " Dave Sones, Makah tribal council vice chairman, said in the Seattle Times.

Seattlest imagines:

Animal Rights Activist 1: I'd like to really break this ceremony down into its most basic elements and really take a look at what the Makah have traditionally accomplished, spiritually, with it.

ARA2: Personally, I just don't get the Makah character here. I don't think he's believable and I don't understand his motivations. Do you want to respond to that?

Makah: ...

ARA1: Let's take some suggestions on how we can really turn this thing into not just a Makah ceremony that dates back 1500 years, but a real celebration of the gray whale. And I agree with you that you really need to ask your Makah character some probing questions. You're not listening to your characters.

Makah: ...

If the environmental inquiry stays on track the Makah could hold their next hunt in the spring of 2006. Twenty whales over a five year time period have been reserved for them by the International Whaling Commission.