The Sea Is My Country: The Maritime World of the Makahs

419 Pages·2015·5.233 MB·English

by  Joshua L. Reid

T S I M C
HE EA S Y OUNTRY
THE HENRY ROE CLOUD SERIES ON
AMERICAN INDIANS AND MODERNITY
Series Editors:
Ned Blackhawk, Professor of History and American Studies, Yale University,
and
Kate W. Shanley, Native American Studies, University of Montana
Series Mission Statement
Named in honor of the pioneering Winnebago educational reformer and fi rst
known American Indian graduate of Yale College, Henry Roe Cloud (Class
of 1910), this series showcases emergent and leading scholarship in the fi eld
of American Indian Studies. The series draws upon multiple disciplinary per-
spectives and organizes them around the place of Native Americans within the
development of American and Eur op ean modernity, emphasizing the shared,
relational ties between indigenous and Euro- American societies. It seeks to
broaden current historic, literary, and cultural approaches to American Studies
by foregrounding the fraught but generative sites of inquiry provided by the
study of indigenous communities.
T S
HE EA
I M C
S Y OUNTRY
The Maritime World of the Makahs,
an Indigenous Borderlands People
Joshua L. Reid
New Haven & London
Published with assistance from the Kingsley Trust Association Publication Fund
established by the Scroll and Key Society of Yale College.
Copyright © 2015 by Joshua L. Reid.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations,
in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of
the US Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press),
without written permission from the publishers.
Yale University Press books may be purchased in quantity for educational,
business, or promotional use. For information, please e- mail [email protected]
(US offi ce) or [email protected] (UK offi ce).
An earlier version of portions of this book was previously published in
“Marine Tenure of the Makahs,” in Indigenous Knowledge and the Environment
in Africa and North America, edited by David M. Gordon and Shepard Krech III
(Athens: Ohio University Press, 2012), 243–58. This material is used with permission
of Ohio University Press, www.ohioswallow.com.
Set in PostScript Electra with Trajan display type by Westchester Book Group.
Printed in the United States of America.
Endpapers: map by Bill Nelson.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014957518
ISBN 978-0-300-20990-7
A cata logue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (Permanence of Paper).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Foreword, by the Makah Tribal Council and
Makah Cultural and Research Center vii
Ac know ledg ments xi
A Note about Words and Naming xv
Introduction: Just Where Does One Get a License to Kill Indians? 1
one “The Power of Wickaninnish Ends Here” 19
two Inveterate Wars and Petty Pilferings 53
three “Depending on the Success or Good- Will of the Natives” 88
four “I Want the Sea” 124
five “An Anomaly in the Indian Ser vice” 164
six “Everything Is Played Out Here” 210
Conclusion: “Events Happen When You Get a Whale” 271
Afterword, by Micah McCarty 282
Abbreviations 285
Notes 287
Bibliography 343
Index 379
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FOREWORD
Joshua L. Reid is a true scholar and educator. Born and raised in Washington
State, he is currently a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a
former middle school teacher with an undergraduate degree from Yale and a
Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. Josh approached the Makah Tribe
with his research proposal and requested access to the extensive archival rec ords
held by the Makah Cultural and Research Center (MCRC). The proposal was of
interest to the Makah Tribe and pertinent to current issues on both the tribal and
national levels. His proposal was approved, and he began his inquiries. At the
MCRC, he delved into the recordings of our elders who have gone before us. He
held interviews with Makah individuals to gather additional details on historic and
current Makah practices, events, and perspectives. He researched the written rec-
ords within our archives; then he travelled— extensively— throughout the U.S. and
Canada to track down all he could fi nd relating to Makah control and manage-
ment of marine space. His research and analysis of this material provide the most
comprehensive source of Makah history ever published.
As Makahs, we know our ancestors took calculated and heroic mea sures to
protect our water, land, and resources that provide for our way of life. Many of
us know the stories of whale and seal hunters, fi shermen, and warriors. The
descriptions of the battles and alliances with other Tribes, Washington State,
the federal government, and Canada are not new to us. Josh’s book immortal-
izes Makah efforts to remain steadfast in our claims to own ership and control
of this pivotal Northwestern territory throughout time, while highlighting some
of the individuals who played key roles.
Other books have been published that help readers understand the complex-
ity of Makah history, but nothing else published to date goes to these lengths to
vii
viii Foreword
uncover and chronicle the ebb and fl ow of our struggles to maintain our unique
position in this world. The Sea Is My Country is an uncompromising examina-
tion of Makah history that illustrates how Makahs affected early explorers’ ef-
forts to exploit the riches of the Pacifi c Northwest, how Makahs inserted our
preexisting sovereignty to continue to be important players in the changing
economy, and how we sustained cultural traditions and values throughout these
changing times.
Josh has approached this project with unequivocal scholarship, portraying an
unbiased look at crucial portions of Makah history. His investigation has
brought forward a number of less commonly known historic facts, statistics,
and unpublished research to present a variety of perspectives. The Sea Is My
Country reconstructs a robust record of Makah use of marine space throughout
the last two centuries. And while Josh is not a Makah tribal member, he has
provided for the Makah voice to be heard within his work, something that is
often missing in publications. He has pieced together our history in a truthful
light which has the capacity to educate readers in developing an understanding
of the complex history of Makah people.
So much misleading or inaccurate information is available to the public. Josh
reveals Washington State’s past efforts at providing the media with inaccurate
information in order to lead the public to believe that Indians were responsible
for overfi shing salmon. Ironically, Indians were catching approximately six per-
cent of the salmon at that time. These sentiments still exist. Josh’s in de pen dent
research provides the reader with evidence of these underlying themes through-
out historic times and captures the Makah response. We commend his method-
ical research and efforts to document our history in this way.
This publication chronicles the periods where Makahs thrived both before
and after contact, and struggled against governmental policies that were de-
signed to strip our identity and take the wealth of our resources. The Sea Is My
Country enlightens readers, disabling ste reo types with valid facts, fi gures, and
an extensive bibliography. The timing of Josh’s publication will benefi t the
tribe as we maneuver through the government’s newest attempts at marine
spatial planning and ocean policy. We expect this book will quickly become a
trea sured resource for both Makah readers as well as the broader academic
community.
As a modern tribe we continually work to protect our treaty rights and way of
life by utilizing the existing po liti cal and legal systems, all the while immersing
our children in cultural traditions. We have been working through the federal
government’s procedures to resume our treaty- secured right to hunt whales
for more than twenty years. This battle continues while another generation of
Foreword ix
whalers comes of age. Josh’s compilation reminds us of how our forefathers
maneuvered within both traditional and non- Indian systems to retain our
identity and access to important resources that allow us to live and thrive as
Qʷidič č aʔa·tx.
Makah Tribal Council
Makah Cultural and Research Center