Psychology Essay-The Makah tribe
Should The Makah be Allowed to Hunt the Gray Whale
Whether to hunt or not to hunt the gray whale is a debate that has seen two sides clash, one holding on to their culture and the other advocating for the rights of the whale. Animal rights activists are adamant that whales have a right to live freely without being endangered by a primitive culture. Whaling symbolizes the identity, heritage, and culture of the Makah Tribe. Whalers among the Makah are honoured persons and highly respected members of the tribe. Prior to the voluntary cessation of whaling, the Makah would hunt and distribute large quantities of hunted gray whale meat as well as the oil from the same (Watter and Dugger, 1997). Whale meat, blubber, and oil were the Makah’s primary food and comprised of up to 80% of the tribe’s diet. The whale oil was used to make gravy or butter. The best part of the whale was reserved for ceremonies and feasts. The oil and meat were also used in celebrations and as gifts. The Makah also believes whale meat improves physical and spiritual health. The ceremony and the rituals that surrounded whaling were and still are an important part of the Makah people (Beldo, 2019).
Fishing and hunting rights are some of the few special rights that have been accorded to the Native Americans. These rights are based on treaties that the tribes signed in agreement with the federal government. Although animal rights activists are vocal in their assertions against whaling, the Makah should be allowed to continue with their culture. The Endangered Species Act removed the gray whale from the list of endangered species in 1994. When the federal government allows whaling by the Makah, it will be honouring the treaties it signed (Beldo, 2019).
Ironically, the campaigns by the animal rights activists may have been detrimental to the gray whale populace. There are more than 27,000 gray whales in the eastern North Pacific. As these populations grow, the availability of food becomes scarce. This has resulted in the recent spate of whale carcasses beaching with higher frequencies than previously observed (Hopper, 2019). Conservation amongst the Makah is as old as the whaling tradition. In the 1920s, the tribe voluntarily ceased whaling after the gray population was compromised following large-scale commercial activity. This was obviously a very major decision for the tribe to make since whaling had been a tradition for more than 2,000 years.
However, the tradition never ended in the 1920s; rather, it was hidden in the tribal members’ hearts. The tradition was kept alive through stories, songs, and art. After 70 years of dormancy, the culture was revived following an archaeological finding that revealed the whaling past of the Makah (Hopper 2019). Unlike the commercial whaling by the Japanese, the Makah whaling is not a resource extraction form. Whaling forms part of the Makah’s life cycle, with their relatives embodied in the gray whales. The Makah believe that the whales’ spirits enter them and thus have access to the world. The power whale spirits have are capable of healing intergenerational trauma, suicide, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol abuse (Hopper 2019). who hold on to the traditional beliefs perceive that whaling benefits all persons as the spirits of the whales are brought into the world where they can share their strength and courage. The whales return to the water as spirits and are reborn into new whales, thus continuing the cycle of life and energy (Hopper 2019).
From this paper’s perspective, the federal government ought to honor the treaty it signed with the people of the Makah tribe. This paper recommends that the Makah be allowed to hunt not more than 8 whales per annum. Additionally, the tribe should ensure that it limits the number of lost or injured gray whales to a maximum of 3 per annum (NOAA, n.d). Also, the amount taken and those that are struck should be subjected to a reduction where necessary in order to be in compliance with the U.S. Treaty Obligations under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). Lastly, the Makah should be restricted to hunting the gray whale only and not any other species (U.S Department of Commerce, 2001)
Works Cited
Beldo, Les. “Stock morality: Whalers, activists, and the power of the state in the Makah whaling conflict.” American Ethnologist 46.1 (2019): 47-60.
NOAA (n.d). Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports by Species/Stock. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessment-reports-species-stock#cetaceans—large-whales. Accessed non18th April, 2021.
U.S. Dept. of Commerce et al., Environmental Assessment on Issuing a Quota to the Makah Indian Tribe for a Subsistence Hunt on Gray Whales for the Years 2001 and 2002 40 (2001)
Watters, Lawrence, and Connie Dugger. “The Hunt for Gray Whales: The Dilemma of Native American Treaty Rights and the International Moratorium on Whaling.” Colum. J. Envtl. L. 22 (1997): 319.
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Question 
Psychology Essay-The Makah tribe
1. The Makah tribe claim to have hunted gray whales for more than 2,000 years. They stopped in the 1920s due to a decline in the number of gray whales. Now they want to return to the hunt to provide food for their tribe and to restore the young men’s sense of discipline and pride in their traditions. Pro-ponents of the hunt claim that a majority of the tribe support the hunt, which is expected to take fewer than the five whales they are permitted by law to kill. Tribal leaders claim they will take no pregnant or nursing females. Some Makah elders disagree, however, pointing out that the tribe survived for most of the twentieth century without eating whale meat and claiming that there are better ways to instill pride and discipline. The environmental community argues that the whale hunt is immoral because it violates the
Psychology Essay-The Makah tribe
whales’ right to exist on the planet. Is it appropriate for nonmembers of the Makah tribe—for example, students in your class—to evaluate the morality of the Makah whale hunt? Explain.