Seattle Times: Makahs harpoon, shoot whale (fwd)

[David Gene Lewis]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 21:04:28 +0000
From: KOLA <kolahq at skynet.be>
To: sovernet-l at lists.speakeasy.org
Subject: Seattle Times: Makahs harpoon, shoot whale

[Mainstream news article]

>http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/whal_19990517.html
Posted at 11:06 a.m. PDT; Monday, May 17, 1999 

Makahs harpoon, shoot whale 
by Lynda V. Mapes 
Seattle Times staff reporter 

NEAH BAY, Clallam County - The Makah tribe this morning killed a whale 
off the Washington coast - the first whale taken by the tribe in more 
than 70 years. 

Members of the eight-man whaling crew raised their fists in triumph, 
blasting an air horn in celebration. And the Makah village of Neah Bay 
closed its schools and declared a holiday so students could witness an 
event the tribe believes will revive its ancient traditions. 

"It was easy," said whaling crew member Darrell Markishtum. "The whale 
gave up its life for us freely." He said the whale surfaced just ahead 
of the canoe, as the crew came alongside it for the kill. 

But efforts to tow the giant mammal back to shore, where the tribe wants 
to ceremonially butcher it and distribute its meat and oil to tribal 
members, were complicated this morning by a stiff 15- to 20-knot 
easterly wind and 3-foot chop. 

At 9:30 a.m., efforts to begin the tow were put on hold as the seas 
built higher, and the whaling crew called for another fishing boat to 
help secure the whale. The whale was being held in position by two 
boats, a long-liner and a trawler. 

Wayne Johnson, captain of the whaling crew, said the whale was about 25 
feet below the surface. He said a crew member plans to dive below and 
sew up the lips of the whale so it can be floated to the surface. 

Protesters immediately condemned the kill and warned it opens the door 
to resumption of "cultural" whaling by the Japanese, Norwegians and 
other North American tribes. 

Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society bellowed over the 
radio of the protest boat Sirenian that the kill was "a pirate whaling 
action." But his efforts to block the hunt were foiled. His only weapon 
left today was his air horn, which he blasted continuously on the cold 
churning sea. 

Three harpoons from the tribal canoe hit the whale at 6:55 a.m. in the 
open ocean close to the Point of Arches, just south of the Makah 
reservation. 

The first harpooner, with the bow of the canoe Hummingbird hovering 
above the whale's back, was close enough to actually stab the harpoon 
into the whale without having to throw the weapon. Immediately, the 
seven crew members let go a rope and a yellow float that the creature 
dragged in a wide circle. 

The whale was then shot at least twice with a high-powered rifle from a 
motorized chase boat. The whale rolled in the sea, bleeding heavily. 

It was unknown if the whale died immediately, but it did not surface 
after struggling about 10 minutes. 

In a cold wind and tossing seas, the whalers secured the whale, tying a 
rope to hold the animal in place. The whalers may cut off the tail 
flukes to make it easier to tow upside down back to the village. 

Whalers may also gut the animal at sea to make it lighter so they can 
tow it back using only their small chase boats. 

There were no protesters here to witness the harpooning. Forty minutes 
after the first harpoon hit the whale, the Sirenian was observed racing 
toward the scene. 

The Coast Guard was present at the time of the harpooning, as well as 
scientific observers with the National Marine Fisheries Service and 
members of the media. 

Whalers standing in the bow of their traditional, hand-carved cedar 
canoe stared into the ocean, a pennant flying from their canoe to keep 
all other boats at bay. 

Johnson, the whaling boat's captain, wearing an Oakland Raiders jacket 
and a wool cap with a whale on it, used a cell phone to alert the 
reservation village of Neah Bay of their success. 

Back in the tiny village, the news was greeted with excitement. Many 
residents were watching the hunt on live television. 

Michael McCarty, a Makah member eating breakfast at the Makah Maiden 
Cafe, was asked whether he felt thankful. Or maybe proud? Excited? "All 
of the above. Harpooning, going back to the old days, is just awesome 
for the whole tribe." 

A group of Tulalip tribal members watched the hunt on television at the 
cafe and reacted as if they were viewing a major sporting event. "Good 
shot, good shot," one man yelled. 

Helma Ward, a Makah elder, lay in bed this morning, motionless as 
possible in the Makah belief that close female relatives of the whalers 
have a connection with the whale, and any movement during the hunt could 
lead the whale to thrash about. 

Opponents said they were upset by the kill, and infuriated by the fact 
that they were kept at bay today. 

"We're devastated by this," said Jonathan Paul of the Sea Defense 
Alliance. "We worked so hard to stop this hunt." 

All of his group's boats had been seized by the Coast Guard following 
clashes on Saturday. The protesters were late getting to the scene this 
morning because they had stayed up all night loading three more boats 
onto the Sirenian at Friday Harbor. 

Opposing groups scheduled a public candlelight vigil for 7 p.m. tonight 
at the federal building, Second Avenue and Marion Street in Seattle. 

After centuries of whaling, the Makahs abandoned the practice in the 
1920s when the gray whale had been hunted to the brink of extinction by 
U.S. and European ships. In recent years, as the gray whale was removed 
from the endangered list, the tribe was granted permission to resume its 
traditional hunt, as promised under its 19th-century treaty with the 
United States. 

Under agreement with the federal government, the tribe is permitted to 
take up to five whales per year, or a total of 20 over five years. The 
whale must be used by the tribe, and not sold commercially. 


Copyright © 1999 Seattle Times Company