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Tragedy in Neah Bay
Essay by Dr. Deborah Brosnan written
on May 22nd 1999 in response to the killing of a California Gray Whale
Five days ago I watched as 16 men, in a canoe towed by a powerboat harpooned and then shot, with armored-piercing bullets, a 3 year old female Gray Whale. At 4 a.m. that morning they had slipped out of Neah Bay, Washington under cover of fog. Unseen by protesters, their boats turned south around Cape Flattery in search of a gray whale. Three hours later the Makah Tribe reasserted their Treaty Right and killed their first whale in 70 years.
I was six years old when I saw the shooting death of President J.F. Kennedy on T.V. My cousins and I hid under the table. Anxious and scared we peered out at the images on the screen. Despite our very tender ages we knew that something tragic and irreversible had happened. Through his death in Dallas, something was forever lost to he world. As I watched the killing of this female Gray Whale, many of the same feelings flooded back. --the loss of innocence, a step in the wrong direction. This time my children watched with me, and I saw on their faces the same shock and disbelief that the we would let this happen.
The irony is that this took place in the US, the country that gave the world "Save the Whale" that once offered sanctuary to Gray Whales under the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act. On the very day that this whale was killed the US issued guidelines to protect whales from over-eager tourists.
Perched on the rugged and challenging edge of America, the Makah Tribe were the traditional guardians of the sea and the gatekeepers of the Puget Sound. Once prosperous, over time they watched their fortunes decline, many of their lands and rights were taken from them. Their 1855 Treaty Rights are all that's left. With a 70% unemployment rate, and few opportunities locally the Tribe originally petitioned to resume whaling for economic and cultural renewal. Forgotten and neglected, it is not surprising that they took a bold step. The Tribal elder who first proposed whaling genuinely hoped to restore the good fortunes of the Tribe. But it is now questionable whether these goals will be achieved.
Every year Gray Whales make the long journey from their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea to the lagoons of Baja California where they give birth. We almost exterminated the gray whale through hunting, but thanks to conservation efforts their numbers have rebounded to around 26,000 animals. Our relationship with these magnificent creatures has evolved. They used to fight and kill the whalers who attacked their young. Now they provide us with endless wonderment, knowledge, and a few whales seek out our company too. In Baja, many whales approach boats, turning their large eye upwards to gaze at the humans, and gently following the canoes, often for hours at a time, to be scratched and petted. A few weeks ago, one of these whales, a young female, left Baja and headed back to the Bering Sea. She never completed her journey. Instead off the coast of Washington, she approached a canoe and lifted her head out of the water to gaze at the humans who greeted her not with a gentle scratch but with a spear and two 50 caliber shells.
A Tribal leader once said to me "come be among our people and understand our ways". We did. For six months we worked with them to understand and to find alternatives to whaling that met the cultural, spiritual, economic, and ecological needs of the Tribe. We lived for a time near the Reservation and listened to the Makah stories and concerns. We asked the community to articulate their needs and priorities. They identified employment needs for the whaling team, opportunities for their youth, the need for elder care. They spoke of studying the recent Whale deaths. We found the support and resources to implement their requests. But the economic and cultural renewal that they requested and was clearly not enough to satisfy the needs of some. They showed their power by harpooning and shooting a trusting and intelligent marine mammal. An opportunity for true renewal was squandered.
We watched the gunman take this young whales life. We saw her struggle for 15 minutes before dying. We saw the young men bounce up and down in glee on her back as she lay dead and bound by ropes in Neah Bay. Where is the glory or sacred ceremony in this? What great ritual or right of passage is achieved by this disrespect? Once leaders in conservation, the Makah Tribe had the chance to regain their former glory and show true leadership. They chose not to, and can no longer claim the right to be guardians of the sea. On Monday, many children wept as they watched this young whale die. It will shape their lives and actions for years to come. A trust has been broken. Perhaps it will galvanize them to action to conserve what they hold dear.
Every summer I stand on the western shores of San Juan Island and watch the whales go by. There is a comfort when these large creatures feed play, and go about their lives without fear or regard for us land-locked humans. This summer will be different, darker. The whales are no longer safe.
Dr. Deborah Brosnan is a marine biologist and President of the Sustainable Ecosystems Institute, based in Portland Oregon.
If you are interested in getting involved in this project and want to assist volunteer opportunities are available, please contact us via the web or call Dr. Brosnan at SEI 503-246-5008
