Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

PHOTOS: Makah Indian whale hunts from 1900s

caption: Makah Indians pulling a whale onto the beach, between 1910 and 1932.
Enlarge Icon
Makah Indians pulling a whale onto the beach, between 1910 and 1932.
From the collections of Makah Cultural and Research Center

The Makah Tribe held a final hunt in 1999, but has not since practiced its whaling rights.

A proposal out Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would allow the Makah Tribe to hunt between one to three gray whales annually in their historic hunting range. The Makah live in and around Neah Bay, at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

caption: Woman with a rope and a baby and other people during whale cutting on the beach at Neah Bay, 1910. (Image information provided by Makah Cultural and Research Center.)
Enlarge Icon
Woman with a rope and a baby and other people during whale cutting on the beach at Neah Bay, 1910. (Image information provided by Makah Cultural and Research Center.)
Curtis Asahel


"This gives us hope that we're actually moving forward in the right direction, and that the process is actually beginning to start working for us," says Patrick DePoe, a tribal council member.

The Makah Tribe has treaty rights to hunt gray whales, and did so until the 1920s, until it voluntarily ceased the practice due to concerns over the whales population decline.

The Makah held a final legal hunt in 1999, the one year it was allowed to do so, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals again banned the practice in 2000.

caption: This photo here presented was shown to Young Doctor of the Makah Tribe, who said it was likely taken when the last whale was caught by the Makah, before the 1999 hunt, and that the individual who speared the whale was Charles White.
Enlarge Icon
This photo here presented was shown to Young Doctor of the Makah Tribe, who said it was likely taken when the last whale was caught by the Makah, before the 1999 hunt, and that the individual who speared the whale was Charles White.
Curtis Asahel


caption: Cutting up a whale on Neah Bay, 1910.
Enlarge Icon
Cutting up a whale on Neah Bay, 1910.
Curtis Asahel


caption: Whaling implements, likely from the Makah Tribe.
Enlarge Icon
Whaling implements, likely from the Makah Tribe.
North Olympic Library in Port Angeles, Washington


caption: Makah Indians landing a whale on the beach (6 men in canoe; whale in center; sealskin floats on right; beach in foreground) 1910.
Enlarge Icon
Makah Indians landing a whale on the beach (6 men in canoe; whale in center; sealskin floats on right; beach in foreground) 1910.
Curtis Asahel


caption: And elder Makah whale hunter with canoe and floats at Neah Bay, 1900. By 1900, when this photograph was taken, whale hunting had become less important economically to the Makah because commercial whaling fleets had depleted the whale population. The cultural significance of the whaler endured, however, and great prestige still surrounded successful hunters.
Enlarge Icon
And elder Makah whale hunter with canoe and floats at Neah Bay, 1900. By 1900, when this photograph was taken, whale hunting had become less important economically to the Makah because commercial whaling fleets had depleted the whale population. The cultural significance of the whaler endured, however, and great prestige still surrounded successful hunters.
Anders B. Wilse


caption: Makah Indian stripping skin off of dead whale, Neah Bay, Washington, 1910
Enlarge Icon
Makah Indian stripping skin off of dead whale, Neah Bay, Washington, 1910
Curtis Asahel


caption: A Makah whaler named Wilson Parker, 1915. Parker wears a fur coat and carries whaling floats on the beat at Neah Bay, on the northwest tip of Washington state.
Enlarge Icon
A Makah whaler named Wilson Parker, 1915. Parker wears a fur coat and carries whaling floats on the beat at Neah Bay, on the northwest tip of Washington state.
Edward S. Curtis


caption: Cutting up a whale on the beach at Neah Bay some time between 1910 and 1932.
Enlarge Icon
Cutting up a whale on the beach at Neah Bay some time between 1910 and 1932.
Makah Cultural and Research Center Digital Collection
caption: Makah Indians cut up a whale at Neah Bay in Washington state, 1910.
Enlarge Icon
Makah Indians cut up a whale at Neah Bay in Washington state, 1910.
Curtis Asahel


caption: Members of the Makah Tribe of Neah Bay, on the northwest tip of Washington state, pull in a whale on May 17, 1999, the tribe's last hunt.
Enlarge Icon
Members of the Makah Tribe of Neah Bay, on the northwest tip of Washington state, pull in a whale on May 17, 1999, the tribe's last hunt.
Theresa Parker


caption: Members of the Makah tribe of Neah Bay surround a grey whale on May 17, 1999, the tribe's last whale hunt.
Enlarge Icon
Members of the Makah tribe of Neah Bay surround a grey whale on May 17, 1999, the tribe's last whale hunt.
Collections at Makah Cultural and Research Center
Why you can trust KUOW

Get Local Stories

Delivered to your inbox daily, weekly, or monthly.

Explore Newsletters