Makah Indians Essay Example For Students

Makah Indians Essay The Makah are a Native Indian tribe who have recently decided to enact theirtreaty rights, and start to hunt for whales. These actions have caused an uproarin North America. The Natives state that they are not doing anything butexercising their legal rights. Opponents to their hunting of whales argue thatthe Makah are a group of uncivilized and inhumane individuals, and that they areharming nature. The reportage of the controversy surrounding the Makah can beseen as ethnocentric in many ways. Through the language used by the mediainvolved in the controversy, one can constantly see the Native people beingviewed as inhumane savages. In turn, this language allows readers to be sentmixed messages about the Makah and their position in the whaling dispute. Finally, the protestors themselves have contradictory arguments which leads oneto question the motivating factors behind their position. In order to fullyunderstand the whaling controversy, it is necessary to understand the history ofthe Makah. They were a group of Native people who hunted gray whales. As aresult of their increased trade with the Europeans, the white man decided toalso enter this hunt for the whale. This competition between the Makah and thewhite man lead to the whale coming close to extinction. Due to their love fornature and respect for the whale, the Makah decided to voluntarily refrain fromhunting whales. It is important to note however, that in 1855, the Governor ofWashington State agreed to the Treaty Of Neah Bay, which gave the Makah a rightto hunt for whales. This is what is at the heart of the controversy. The Makahhave recently enacted their hunting rights of the whale after seventy years, andare now resuming their hunt for whales. The Makah reasoning is a relativelysimple one. In 1946, the gray whale population was 2000, and now their count isover 26,000. They believe that it is safe to hunt for whales again. The Makahhave been a group of people who have relied on whale hunting. . They used theblubber from the whale to feed their families, and they used the rest of thewhale to provide themselves with shelter and tools. However, their opponentshave dismissed this practice of hunting whales as inhumane. Through the languagethat is being used by the media, one can see Native people being viewed assavages. The language being used is not blatantly discriminatory against theNative people, but is done in a subtle, yet powerful way, in order to evoke amessage that Native people are inhumane. One of the reasons for this negativecommentary regarding Native people hunting for whales could be due toethnocentrism. This is the belief that ones own culture is considered to benormal, therefore, other cultures are considered abnormal. The media caref ullyuses words that show their bias towards the Native People. The media tries tomake the Makah look like a band of savages. While writing about a recentanti-whaling demonstration, Peggy Andersen writes, In a simmering disputethat ended with a scuffle and arrests, angry Makah Indians pelted a protest boatwith rocks as the two sides bickered over a tribal plan to hunt graywhales. The wording of this opening paragraph leads the reader to thinkthat it was Makah who were causing trouble, and that they were the ones thatwere arrested. However, if one were to complete the article, they would realizethat this was not the case. Another example of media bias against the Makahpeople is when Jonathan Dube writes, As much as its possible for one deadanimal to give new life to an entire nation, thats what has happenedhere. Dube is implying that it is impossible for an animal that has diedto bring life to a nation, however, that is what has occurred. He does notunderstand how killing this whale c ould give life to the Makah, and therefore,he conveys this message of doubt to his readers. Dube is indirectly stating thatthe Makah need to kill in order to have life. Many readers and viewers of themedia are being sent mixed messages about the Makah and the whaling situation. Understanding The Nature Of Homlessness EssayBibliography(1999, May 18) Stop the Whale Hunt. {October 30, 1999} Available:http://www.oregonlive.com/oped/99/05/ed051801.html Author Unknown. (1999, May22) Racism Enters Whale Dispute. {October 25, 1999} Available:http://www.spokane.net/news-story-asp?Date=052299;ID=s580242;cat=Anderson, Peggy. (1998, November 2) Melee during anti-whalingdemonstration Shakes both sides. {November 2, 1999} Available: http://oregonlive.com/todaysnews/9811/st110213.htmlAnderson, Peggy. (1999, May 21) Anti- Makah Protests Turn Ugly. {November 3, 1999} Available: http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body. asp?Date=052199;ID=s580004;cat=}Dark, Alx. (1999, April) The Makah Whale Hunt.{October 28, 1999}. Available: http://www.conbio.rice.edu/nae/index.html Dube, Jonathan. (1999, May18) Plenty of Meat To Go Around. {October 26, 1999} Available:http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/makahs990518.html Webster,John. (1998, November 3) Anything for an unworthy cause. {October29, 1999} Available: http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body.asp?Date=11039;ID=s477881;cat=