Makah Whalers

A detailed Summary of Makah Whalers


The Makah are a Native Indian tribe who have recently decided to enact their treaty rights, and start to

hunt for whales. These actions have caused an uproar in North America. The Natives state that they are

not doing anything but exercising their legal rights. Opponents to their hunting of whales argue that the

Makah are a group of uncivilized and inhumane individuals, and that they are harming nature. The

reportage of the controversy surrounding the Makah can be seen as ethnocentric in many ways. Through

the language used by the media involved in the controversy, one can constantly see the Native people

being viewed as inhumane savages. In turn, this language allows readers to be sent mixed messages

about the Makah and their position in the whaling dispute. Finally, the protestors themselves have

contradictory arguments which leads one to question the motivating factors behind their position. In

order to fully understand the whaling controversy, it is necessary to understand the history of the

Makah. They were a group of Native people who hunted gray whales. As a result of their increased trade

with the Europeans, the 'white man' decided to also enter this hunt for the whale. This competition


to make the Makah look like a band of savages. While writing about a recent anti-whaling demonstration,

Whale Dispute". {October 25, 1999} Available:

Available: http://oregonlive.com/todaysnews/9811/st110213.html Anderson, Peggy. (1999, May 21) "Anti-

would realize that this was not the case. Another example of media bias against the Makah people is when

and per capita income is $5, 000. Finally, the protesters are sending mixed messages as well. Their

life to a nation, however, that is what has occurred. He does not understand how killing this whale could

which was 5 per year at the time of the controversy. In conclusion, one can clearly see that the reporting



Some common words found in the essay are:
Jonathan Dube, Bay Makah, Whaling Commission's, Japan Makah, America Natives, Makah Native, Human Dignity, Makah Indians, Defense Alliance, Native Indian, native people, 1999 available, hunt whales, makah whale, gray whale, hunting whales, makah whaling, makah hunt whales, language media, makah hunt, whale hunt, whale hunt tribal, author unknown 1999, hunt whales makah, gray whale population,

Approximate Word count = 1667
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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