The Makah Nation’s Fleet Challenges the Seal Hunters
With firearms banned, the Makah sealers of Neah Bay turn to traditional hunting methods, outmaneuvering white commercial competitors.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Makah Indians of Neah Bay are fitting out a fleet of ten schooners for sealing voyages in the North Pacific Ocean. The vessels are worth over $20,000, and are owned, officered, and manned by Indian crews. Under the present law, as laid down by the Bering Sea tribunal in Paris recently, the Indians have considerable advantage over the white hunters. Firearms are strictly prohibited in hunting seals, and this causes the Indians to adopt their old custom of hunting with spears, at which a large number of the tribe are adepts. Practical sealers claim that the Indians will fare much better than either the English or American sealers.
“This causes the Indians to adopt their old custom of hunting with spears, at which a large number of the tribe are adepts.”
This story highlights the resilience of the Makah people in maintaining their traditional practices within a rapidly changing commercial and legal landscape. Their expertise, forced into relevance by prohibition of modern weaponry, is a testament to the enduring significance of Indigenous knowledge in the Pacific Northwest.
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