What are some traditions of the Makah Tribe?
The tradition of whaling is a source of great pride among the Makah. Whales were hunted for their meat and blubber, and nearly every part of the whale was designated for use. Humpback, right, sperm, gray, fin and blue whales were among the species traditionally hunted by the Makah.
What festivals do the Makah Tribe celebrate?
NEAH BAY — Today begins Makah Days, the 95th annual celebration of Makah culture. The festival spans three days with canoe races, bone games, kids’ races, royalty, a salmon bake, traditional dancing, talent show, a multitude of vendors and a fireworks show.
What is the Makah Tribe known for?
The Makah Indians were primarily marine hunters. Makah men hunted seals, sea lions, and even whales from their canoes. They also caught fish and hunted deer, birds, and small game on land. Makah women gathered clams and shellfish, berries, and roots.
What did the Makah Tribe do for fun?
They do the same things all children do–play with each other, go to learn and help around the house. Many Makah teens enjoyed hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Makah teens had more chores and less time to play. But they did have dolls, toys, and games to play.
Where did the Makahs live?
The Makah Indian Tribe own the Makah Indian Reservation on the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula and includes Tatoosh Island. They live in and around the town of Neah Bay, Washington, a small fishing village along the Strait of Juan de Fuca where it meets the Pacific Ocean.
What resources did the Makah Tribe use?
Since time immemorial, the Makah people have depended on the reliable and abundant resources from the ocean for their subsistence, culture and economy. Hunting whales, seals and other sea mammals and catching halibut, salmon and other marine fish have always been integral and essential to Makah life.
How does the Makah Tribe make money?
And throughout that time — given its proximity to the vast resources of the Pacific Ocean — fishing has been key to both the Makah Tribe’s diet and its livelihood. The dock and the Neah Bay fishing industry generate an estimated $7 million in annual economic benefits for the Makah Tribe.
What happened to the Chinook tribe?
Because American colonialism severely disrupted Chinook culture, ultimately removing the people to reservations, most information about traditional Chinook life is based on the records of these and other traders and explorers, together with what is known of neighbouring groups.
How did the Makah Tribe make decisions?
The constitution provided for an elected, five member Tribal Council; each member serves a three year term. No more than two seats are voted upon in any given year, and a new Tribal Chairperson is elected by the five council members each year.
What was the purpose of a potlatch ceremony?
potlatch, ceremonial distribution of property and gifts to affirm or reaffirm social status, as uniquely institutionalized by the American Indians of the Northwest Pacific coast.
What did the Makah tribe believe in?
The Makah believe that physical beings would return to the world after death as spirits and would haunt the places they were attached to before their deaths. The Makah have a ritual tradition of burning an individual’s personal possessions after death and throwing them out onto the beach.
What resources did the Makah tribe use?