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{{Short description|Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{About|the Native American ethnic group|the Bantu ethnic group in Cameroon|Makaa people|other uses|}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Makah
| native_name = qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌
| native_name_lang = myh
| flag = Flag of the Makah Indian Nation.PNG
| flag_caption = Flag of the Makah Indian Tribe
| image = Map of Makah Territory (c.1855-2023).png
| caption = Makah territory (light red, {{circa}} 1855) overlayed with current reservation lands (dark red)
| population = 1,213
| popplace = United States ([[Washington (state)|Washington]])
| rels = [[Christianity]], incl. [[Syncretism]]
| langs = [[English language|English]], [[Makah language|Makah]] (survives as a second language)
| related = [[Nuu-chah-nulth]], [[Ditidaht]]
}}
The '''Makah''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|k|ɑː}}; [[
Linguistically and ethnographically, they are closely related to the [[Nuu-chah-nulth]] and [[Ditidaht]] peoples of the [[Vancouver Island|West Coast of Vancouver Island]], who live across the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] in [[British Columbia]], Canada.
== Etymology and name ==
The Makah people [[endonym|refer to themselves]] as the ''{{lang|myh|qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌}}'', which translates to somewhere near to "the people who live by the rocks and seagulls". Other thought translations include "the people who live on the cape by the seagulls", and "people of the point", as well as several others. This has sometimes been anglicized as Kwih-dich-chuh-ahtx''.''
The English name, "Makah," is an [[exonym]] derived from the [[Klallam language|S'Klallam]] language name for the Makah, ''màq̓áʔa''. It means "generous with food".<ref name="HNAI">Renker, Ann M., and Gunther, Erna (1990). "Makah". In "Northwest Coast", ed. Wayne Suttles. Vol. 7 of ''[[Handbook of North American Indians]]'', ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 429</ref><ref>Makah Cultural and Research Center online museum: [https://content.lib.washington.edu/cmpweb/exhibits/makah/index.html "Index"] and [https://content.lib.washington.edu/cmpweb/exhibits/makah/intro.html "Introduction"]</ref>
== History ==
=== Pre-colonial ===
[[Archaeological]] research suggests that Makah people have inhabited the area now known as Neah Bay for more than 3,800 years.
Makah acquired much of their food from the ocean. Their diet consisted of whale, seal, fish, and a wide variety of [[shellfish]]. They would also hunt deer, elk, and bear from the surrounding forests. Women also gathered a wide variety of nuts, berries and edible plants and roots for their foods.
===Japanese castaways===
In 1834, a dismasted, rudderless ship from Japan ran aground near [[Cape Flattery]]. The Makah took the three survivors of the broken ship and held them as slaves for several months before taking them to [[Fort Vancouver]]. From there, the United States transported them by ship to London and eventually China, but they never reached Japan again.<ref name="historylink">{{cite web | last=Tate | first=Cassandra | title = HistoryLink: Japanese Castaways of 1834: The Three Kichis | url = http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9065 | date = July 23, 2009 | publisher = [[HistoryLink.org]]}}</ref><ref name="historylink2">{{cite web | last = Tate | first = Cassandra | title = HistoryLink: Makah tribal members join delegation from Japan in commemorating three shipwrecked Japanese sailors on September 29, 1997. | url = http://www.historylink.org/_content/printer_friendly/pf_output.cfm?file_id=9074 | date = July 16, 2009 | publisher = [[HistoryLink.org]] }}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
===Treaty of Neah Bay===
[[File:MakahIndians.jpg|thumb|right|299px|A Makah settlement, c. 1900]]
On January 31, 1855, government-selected Makah representatives signed the Treaty of Neah Bay with the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]], ceding much of their traditional lands. The treaty required the Makah to be restricted to the [[Makah Reservation]] (at {{coord|48|19|20|N|124|37|57|W}} in Clallam County), banned slavery, and preserved the Makah people's rights to hunt whales and seals in the region.<ref>[http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=2632 History Link - Treaty of Neah Bay]</ref> The Makah language was not used during the negotiation of the treaty, and the government used the S'Klallam-language name to refer to the tribe, rather than the Makah-language endoynm.
===Ozette village===
{{main|Ozette Indian Village Archeological Site}}
In the early 17th century, a [[mudslide]] engulfed part of a Makah village near [[Lake Ozette]]. The oral history of the Makah mentions a "great slide" which engulfed a portion of Ozette long ago. The mudslide preserved several houses and their contents in a collapsed state until the 1970s, when they were excavated by the Makah and archaeologists from [[Washington State University]]. Over 55,000 artifacts were recovered, representing many activities of the Makah, from whale and seal hunting to salmon and halibut fishing. Artifacts included toys, games, and bows and arrows.
Archaeological test pits were excavated at the Ozette site in 1966 and 1967 by Richard Daugherty.<ref>[http://daphne.palomar.edu/ais130/site_2.htm Ozette overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713213602/http://daphne.palomar.edu/ais130/site_2.htm|date=July 13, 2009}}, Palomar College</ref> However, it was not until 1970 that it became apparent what was buried there. After a storm in February 1970, tidal erosion exposed hundreds of well-preserved wooden artifacts. The excavation of the Ozette site began shortly after. University students worked with the Makah under the direction of archaeologists using pressurized water to remove mud from six buried long houses. The excavation went on for 11 years.
It produced more than 55,000 artifacts, many of which are on display in the [http://www.makah.com/mcrchome.html Makah Cultural and Research Center]. Opened in 1979, the museum displays replicas of cedar long houses as well as whaling, fishing, and sealing canoes.<ref>Steury, Tim. [http://wsm.wsu.edu/stories/2008/May/779.html "A Dialogue with the Past: Modern Archaeology in the Pacific Northwest and What We Are"], ''Washington State Magazine.''</ref>
==Culture==
Much of what is known about the traditional way of life of the Makah is derived from their [[oral tradition|oral traditions]]. Abundant [[archeology|archeological]] evidence excavated at the Ozette village site has also provided great insight into traditional Makah life.
Historically, the structure of Makah society is a class system; people in the middle or lower classes could gain better social status by marrying into the upper levels. The community was in mostly a [[cognatic kinship|cognatic descent]] structure.<ref name="Gale">{{Cite book |title=UXL encyclopedia of native American tribes |date=2012 |publisher=Gale |others=Edwards, Laurie J. |isbn=9781414490984 |edition=3rd |location=Detroit |oclc=793806804}}</ref>
[[File:
The Makah traditional family consisted of parents and children living in a particular area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection |url=http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/renker.html |access-date=July 1, 2019 |website=content.lib.washington.edu}}</ref> Members of Makah families were ranked in society according to their relationship to the chief of the tribe.<ref name="Gale" /> There were no stratifications in gender roles; all genders were equal, participating in the hunting of whales and other livestock. Although men were more fishermen and hunters, women's activities centered on gathering resources for the family.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Makah Tribe (Neah Bay, Washington): Tribal Info, History and More |url=https://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/ |access-date=July 1, 2019 |website=Makah Tribe |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Whaling ===
Makah [[oral tradition|oral history]] relates that their tradition of [[aboriginal whaling]] has been suspended and re-established several times. Most recently, the practice was suspended in the 1920s because the commercial [[whaling]] industry had depleted the stocks of [[Humpback whale|humpback]] and [[gray whale]]s; all hunting was called off.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anguiano |first=Dani |date=2024-06-13 |title=Native American tribe wins right to hunt gray whales off Washington coast |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/13/gray-whale-hunt-makah-tribe-washington |access-date=2024-06-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
After the gray whale was removed from the [[List of endangered species in the US|Endangered Species List]], the Makah re-asserted their whaling rights. With the support and guidance of the United States government and the [[International Whaling Commission]], the Makah successfully hunted a [[gray whale]] on May 17, 1999. According to federal law, the Makah are entitled to hunt and kill one [[baleen]] whale, typically a gray whale, each year. Archaeological records and oral history indicate a significant number of [[humpback whale]]s were historically hunted as well. The Makah had gone over 70 years without catching a whale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Makah Whaling & Whale Hunt - Makah Tribe (Neah Bay, Washington) |url=http://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/whaling/}}</ref>
[[File:The King of the Seas in the Hands of the Makahs - 1910.jpg|thumb|right|299px|Makah whalers, c. 1910]]
[[File:Indian Whalers Stripping Their Prey at Neah Bay - 1910.jpg|thumb|right|299px|Makah whalers stripping the flesh from a whale, c. 1910.]]
The Makah whaling technique is difficult and labor-intensive. The men hunt from [[Cedrus|cedar]] [[canoe]]s, each seating six to nine people and more recently, from small fishing vessels. They take these into the [[Pacific Ocean]] adjacent to their reservation territory. Various traditional criteria are used to determine the best whale to harvest. By counting the whale's exhalations, the hunters determine when the whale is about to dive, and determine from this the best time to strike. Approaching 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 [[taxus|yew]] wood spliced together. Historically, hunters used a [[mussel]] shell tip, in conjunction with barbs from [[elk]] horns.
Since the late 20th century, hunters have used a steel "yankee style" head, but they have retained the yew wood shaft because of its flexibility, water resistance, and strength. Held fast to the whale, the harpoon shaft comes loose, to be recovered later, and a line is thrown from the canoe with seal skin floats attached, to provide 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, and in some cases, days. Recently, hunters have adopted use of a big-game rifle after the harpoon strike, to ensure a more efficient kill. The International Whaling Commission permits four cartridges in whaling: [[.458 Winchester Magnum]], [[.460 Weatherby Magnum]], [[.50 BMG]], and the [[.577 Tyrannosaur]], which the Makah fired in the 1999 hunt.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Humane Killing Paper<!-- Bot generated title --> |url=http://iwcoffice.org/_documents/commission/IWC58docs/58-WKM%26AWI%2015.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112150217/http://iwcoffice.org/_documents/commission/IWC58docs/58-WKM%26AWI%2015.pdf |archive-date=January 12, 2019 |access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref>
Once 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 whale's jaw, to which a tow line and float are attached. This holds the whale's mouth shut and prevents the carcass from filling with water and sinking. Hunters tow the whale to shore, where it is 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. It is taken to his home where a special ceremony is performed. The meat and oil are distributed to community members, and a great deal of it is consumed during a [[potlatch]].
The Makah assert that their right to whaling is guaranteed in the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay, which states in part: "The right of taking fish and 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."<ref>[http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Gray-Whales/Makah-Whale-Hunt.cfm Makah Whale Hunt | NWR website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207110406/http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Gray-Whales/Makah-Whale-Hunt.cfm|date=February 7, 2012}}, NOAA</ref>
In September 2007, five members of the Makah tribe shot a gray whale using a .460 caliber rifle, similar to that used in hunting [[elephant]]s, despite court-imposed regulations governing the Makah hunt. The whale died within 12 hours, sinking while heading out to sea after being confiscated and cut loose by the [[United States Coast Guard]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mapes |first1=Lynda V. |last2=Ervin |first2=Keith |date=September 9, 2007 |title=Gray whale shot, killed in rogue tribal hunt |work=The Seattle Times |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003876011_whale09m.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125234530/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003876011_whale09m.html |archive-date=November 25, 2011}}</ref> The tribal council denounced the killing and announced their intention to try the individuals in tribal court.<ref>[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003876780_webtribalstatement09.html Statement by the Makah Tribal Council], ''Seattle Times,'' 2003</ref>
===[[Ethnobotany]]===
Makah women chew the roots and leaves of ''[[Viola adunca]]'' while giving birth.<ref>Gunther, Erna, 1973, Ethnobotany of Western Washington, Seattle. University of Washington Press. Revised edition, page 40</ref>
=== Contemporary culture ===
In 1936, the Makah Tribe signed the Makah Constitution, accepting the [[Indian Reorganization Act]] of 1934 and establishing an elected tribal government. The constitution provided for a five-member Tribal Council. Each year the council elects a Tribal Chairperson. The Council develops and passes laws for the Makah Reservation.
The Makah Tribe hosts its annual major public gathering, [https://makah.com/activities/makah-days/ Makah Days], in late August. It features a grand parade and street fair as well as canoe races, traditional games, singing, dancing, feasting, and fireworks.
Many Makah tribal members derive most of their income from fishing. Makah fish for [[Pacific salmon|salmon]], [[Pacific halibut|halibut]], [[Pacific whiting]], and other marine fish. This makes them particularly vulnerable to effects of [[global warming]]: [[ocean acidification]] disrupts the development of the shells of [[molluscs]] (the fishes' main food source) and warming waters the [[salmon run]]. In response, the Makah tribe is drawing on traditional knowledge to create action plans for [[climate resilience]] that center tribal socioeconomic priorities. With the [[Hoh]], [[Quileute]], and [[Quinault Indian Nation]], as well as the scientific community, the Makah conduct climate research at and monitor the [[Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary]].<ref name="Matsumoto 2022">{{cite web |last1=Matsumoto |first1=Kendall |date=February 2022 |title=Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change: A Makah Tribal Leader Seeks Solutions to an Ocean Out of Balance |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/feb22/makah-ocean-out-of-balance.html |access-date=March 6, 2022 |website=[[United States National Marine Sanctuary]] |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]}}</ref>
==Language==
{{Main|Makah language}}
{{See also|Wakashan languages}}
The Makah language is the [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Indigenous language]] spoken by the Makah people. The [[endonym]] for the language is {{Lang|mhy|qʷi·qʷi·diččaq}}.<ref>Davidson, Matthew (2002). [http://depts.washington.edu/wll2/files/davidson_02_diss.pdf ''Studies in Southern Wakashan (Nootkan) Grammar'']. Ph.D. dissertation, SUNY Buffalo, p. 349</ref>
Makah linguistically belongs to the Southern Nootkan branch of the [[Wakashan languages|Wakashan]] family of languages. It is also the only Wakashan language in the United States. Other tribes speaking Wakashan are located in [[British Columbia]], Canada, immediately across the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] on the west coast of [[Vancouver Island]], and northwards as far as that province's [[British Columbia Coast|Central Coast]] region.
Makah has been extinct as a [[first language]] since 2002, when its last fluent native speaker died. However, it survives as a second language. The Makah Tribe is also working to revive the language, and has established preschool classes to teach its children.<ref>[http://www.native-languages.org/makah.htm Makah Language and the Makah Indian Tribe (Kweedishchaaht, Kweneecheeaht, Macaw, Classet, Klasset)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.makah.com/language.htm |title=Our Language<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=November 10, 2009 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090508124827/http%3A//www.makah.com/language.htm |archive-date=May 8, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Reservation==
{{Main|Makah Reservation}}
The Makah Tribe owns the [[Makah Indian Reservation]] on the northwest tip of the [[Olympic Peninsula]]; it includes [[Tatoosh Island, Washington|Tatoosh Island]]. They live in and around the town of [[Neah Bay, Washington]], a small fishing village.
Tribal census data from 1999 show that the Makah Tribe has 1,214 enrolled members; some 1,079 live on the reservation. The unemployment rate on the reservation is approximately 51%{{Citation needed|reason=Date and source of statistic requested|date=December 2017}}.
==Literary and cultural references==
Several books have explored Makah history, usually from the arrival of white settlers onward. The historical-adventure novel ''When Wolf Comes'' (2009) by John Pappas gives a glimpse into the lives of the Makah people of 1801. Young adult book ''Ghost Canoe'' (1998) by Will Hobbs takes place on and near the reservation, while ''Indian Days at Neah Bay'' by James G. McCurdy details life in Neah Bay in the early days of [[American Indian boarding schools|mandatory schooling]] from the perspective of the schoolteacher's son. The children's book ''Written in Stone'' (2014) by Rosanne Parry takes place in the 1920s, featuring an orphaned Makah girl who works to preserve her people's culture. Meanwhile, Arlyn Conly's memoir ''Never Trust a White Man'' takes place in the late 1950s, describing Neah Bay High School through the eyes of a white home economics teacher. French writer Frédéric Roux's novel ''L'hiver indien'' (2007) (''Indian Winter'', éditions Grasset & Fasquelle) explores the struggle between tradition and modernity for the Makah in northwestern Washington. In the realm of non-fiction, ''[[Voices of a Thousand People]]'' (2002) by Patricia Pierce Erikson with Helma Ward & Kirk Wachendorf recounts the founding of The Makah Cultural and Research Center and the work to preserve their heritage.
Beyond books, the final scene of [[Jim Jarmusch]]'s 1995 film ''[[Dead Man]]'' takes place in a reconstructed Makah village. Many of the actors featured in the scene are Makah tribal members; dialogue is in the Makah language. Additionally, the song "The Renegade" by [[Ian and Sylvia]] recounts conflict in the life of the son of a "Makah mother who marries a white man" though the original lyric is "''klahowya''", a greeting in [[Chinook Jargon|Chinook Wawa]],
==See also==
* [[Bob Greene (Makah)]]
* [[Ditidaht First Nation|Ditidaht people]]
* [[Hoh|Hoh people]]
* [[Nuu-chah-nulth|Nuu-chah-nulth people]]
* [[Robert T. Paine (zoologist)]]
==Notes==
Line 102 ⟶ 123:
==External links==
{{Commons category|Makah}}
* [http://www.makah.com/ Makah
* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/aipn:@field(SUBJ+@od1(Makah+Indians)) Makah photos and other items] from the [[Library of Congress]]
* [http://thorpe.ou.edu/IRA/makahchrtr.html 1937 Corporate Charter of the Makah] from a [[University of Oklahoma]] website
Line 108 ⟶ 129:
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041120231546/http://www.uoregon.edu/~mmoss/makah.htm Makah Whaling Misunderstood], from a [[University of Oregon]] archaeologist's website
* [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cmpweb/index.html University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – The Pacific Northwest Olympic Peninsula Community Museum] A web-based museum showcasing aspects of the rich history and culture of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula communities. Features cultural exhibits, curriculum packets and a searchable archive of over 12,000 items that includes historical photographs, audio recordings, videos, maps, diaries, reports and other documents.
** [http://content.lib.washington.edu/cmpweb/exhibits/makah/index.html Makah Cultural and Research Center Online Museum Exhibit] History and culture of the Makah
* [http://www.nwifc.org Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission]
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