Where did Makah Tribe 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 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 natural resources did the Makah Tribe have?
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.
What kind of weapons did the Makah tribe use?
Makah hunters used harpoons tipped with mussel shells and bows and arrows. Fishermen used hook and line or wooden fish traps. In war, Makah men fired their bows or fought with spears and war clubs. Makah warriors would wear armor made of hardened elk hide.
How long has the Makah Tribe been in Washington?
Archaeological research suggests that Makah people have inhabited the area now known as Neah Bay for more than 3,800 years. Ancient Makah lived in villages, inhabiting large longhouses made from western red cedar.
Where are the Makah Indians in Washington State?
MAKAH is a Native American tribe that resides at the extreme northwestern corner of Washington State, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Where did the Makah tribe live before the Europeans came?
The Makah have lived on the northwestern Pacific Coast for centuries. Long before the coming of Europeans, they lived near and traded with the Nootkah and Nitinaht tribes, to whom they were sometimes friendly and sometimes hostile. They also traded with the Clallam, but had conflicts with them as well as with the Quileute.
Why are the Makah Indians allowed to hunt whales?
Because of that treaty, the Makah tribe is allowed to hunt one whale every year. This is a controversial situation to some people, but the Makahs believe that their whaling activities are sustainable and that whales became endangered because of white and Asian commercial whalers, not because of the small traditional hunts of the Makah tribe.
What did the Makah Indians use their canoes for?
The Makah tribe used these canoes to travel up and down the sea coast for trading, fishing and hunting, and warfare. Here is a website of Native American boat pictures.