FYI there have been rumors of a casino/ new hotel project in Neah Bay for several years now. I think it would be great as restaurant and lodging options are poor at best in NB. And it sounds like you were there and Know everyone who ate off of the last whale. In reality they had to force people to take alot of the meat from the last whale and everyone I talked to said that it was only good for jerky and that the reservation dogs ate very well for a long time. Since you like whale meat so much Krijack maybe you can take this one off of their hands. I also heard that the last one stunk up the whole town. I am just curious as to where you got your info as I got mine from Neah Bay residents and tribe members. Good Luck, -TBJ

The "right" to hunt is one thing but doing it without the "tribal elders" sanctioning it or any oversight is quite another.

This was done outside the scope of the rights of a member of a tribe.....not outside the scope of the tribe. There is a difference.


RVW

RVW

I agree Aunty. It is not about a whale or them killing a whale it is about following the rule of law.

Here is what the "leader" of the "hunt" had to say.



Sunday morning, Johnson, sporting his trademark. 50-caliber-shooting-club jacket and a big bump on his forehead from a fall on the boat during the hunt, said he had no regrets. Except maybe that he had already waited too long to exercise his tribal treaty right to hunt.

Tired of more than eight years of wrangling in the courts over permission to once again hunt whales, Johnson said: "The time just felt right. I got a hair up my ass and just said, 'Let's go.'

"I'm not ashamed. I'm feeling kind of proud. At least I attempted to do something. I have nothing to be ashamed about.
Seattle Times

So then at issue is not the right to hunt whales? Maybe the Makahs are not out of control, just 5 tribal members who spilled tea into the harbor, I mean tried to exercise their right that isn't contested?

I am not contesting their right to hunt whales as guaranteed by the treaty. My assertion is that as a society (tribal or otherwise) one needs to follow the rules set forth; whether or not I as an individual agree with that law is of no consequence...just that I abide by that law. These 5 people didn't follow the federal law but worse they didn't show any respect to the tribe or the law of the tribe. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior, within the tribe or outside of it.

Any society has to have rules, if not it's anarchy. Breaking the law is not ok regardless of race, color, religion, tribal affiliation etc.

RVW

That right Rosa, just sit down in the back of the bus and shut up! It is a right for them, not something they should have to sit around waiting for a permit for. If the tribe decides to do something, then great. That's their choice, not ours.
TBJ- My brother-in-law is a tribal member.

KJ--- You are not reading slow enough to comprehend this.....so I'll type slower for ya......The T R I B E D I D N O T S A N C T I O N T H I S H U N T .....thereby it wasn't "their" (the tribes) choice but rather the choice of 5 rogue individuals.

RVW

PS---Good for your bro' in law.

As long as you play the victim card, you will be a victim.

Thats cool, the people I know out there would much rather eat deer or elk than whale. Later- TBJ

True.....however they have excercised their tribal rights enough that they (deer and elk) are getting to be less convient to hunt then say......oh maybe whales.

I don't see as much wildlife on that res as I used to. They have put a hurtin' on them also.

RVW

Aunty----I think you mean KJ???

RVW

You do have to feel a little sorry for Indians. Let's not forgot what Europeans originally did to them and then continued to do for a few hundred more years....

Where does it say that I am condoning what they did. The point I am making is that the last one was not that great in the eyes and stomachs of those that I know out there. I am a white boy In case you have not seen any of the pics I post. I have not heard of any murdered white people out there recently BTW. Unbunch your granny panties and have some tea or something. I dont think any whales should be killed. They used to kill and eat whales but I think most are more partial to pizza and burgers these days. TBJ

It's all good Aunty your a swell egg.

this is much better, a little heated discussion as this topic should light some fires under many people imo...watch this play out over the next few weeks...should be an interesting topic for awhile...seahawks rule...cheersz!

I think Thoreau would have disagreed with you. Civil disobedience is a fact and fabric of American society. And, I find it interesting that the treaties we are now talking about came about right after the time that Thoreau came into being. The American people began to demand a change in the way that we were dealing with the Native Americans (Indians), genocide. Signing of Treaties was a way of moving the Natives from their land without unpopular wars. The cost of which we now pay for by having the ethical responsibility to uphold the promises made by our supreme law making bodies even if it doesn't fit our cultural norms.

Aunty, I have a tremendous respect for many of the positions I have seen you take on this board. I understand and support the idea of the need for a law abiding society, the alternative is anarchy. However, my point here is that this is not cut and dry. The history of this country is such that one must understand the complexity of issues such as these. If Natives wouldn't have "broken the law" prior to Boldt, would they have reaffirmed their treaty guaranteed rights to fish??
Unfortunately, the history of this country leads me to believe otherwise; Most of the people that jump on this Native Bashing bandwagon don't understand history and don't realize the degree that White Privilege and Racism play in their opposition to the "special" rights supposedly given to Natives.

The Makah Nation has the right/responsibility to decide how to prosecute these law breakers not sportfishers, and their fear of the political repercussions will most likely lead to a significant response.

well said Dolphin, lets see how the Makahs deal with this on their own terms and then maybe judge on that...cheers

This is a GOOD thing. A very good thing for sportfishermen indeed. Now the *eyes* are going to be on the Makah. Good luck trying to get away with over-quota salmon now since there will be no more generic seasons granted to the Makah salmon net/troll fleet. Because of a few rogue indivuduals, Federal government will have the *eyes* on them and that screws them out of anything but co-managed quotas........hopefully.

Let the greenies go to town on them....and they will. This will spark a national outrage from groups that have big $ and they are much more organized than local sportfishing groups. The PETA freaks, Greenpeace, etc. are going to raise hell so look for the daily temps to go up in Neah Bay.

They smoke, but do they inwhale?

Statement by the Makah Tribal Council
By Makah Tribe Will Prosecute Unauthorized Whaling

The Makah Tribal Council denounces the actions of those who took it upon themselves to hunt a whale without the authority from the Makah Tribal Council or the Makah Whaling Commission. Their action was a blatant violation of our law and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are cooperating with the National Marine Fisheries Service in their investigation of this incident and will continue to do so.

The individuals who took part in this act were arrested by Makah enforcement officers and booked in our detention facility. They were released only after meeting the bail requirements set by the court. They will stand trial in our court at a future date.

We had a meeting of the general council of the Makah Tribe to discuss this incident and the membership of the tribe supports our action. The tribe has demonstrated extraordinary patience in waiting for the legal process to be completed in order to receive our permit to conduct a whale hunt. We are a law-abiding people and we will not tolerate lawless conduct by any of our members. We hope the public does not permit the actions of five irresponsible persons to be used to harm the image of the entire Makah tribe.

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