Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

The negative responses to the Makah people's harvest of a whale have come from many well-meaning members of the public who have not looked closely at how they consciously or unconsciously abuse animals to sustain their lifestyle. Barely a murmur is heard as thousands of wild animals are killed for "sport" and millions of so-called domestic animals die for fast food, fast cars, and urban destruction of habitat.

These great whales and the people of Nuu-chah-nulth territory have lived together sustainably for thousands of years. An intricate eco-management system known as the "H-houlthee" existed and was coordinated by our chiefs prior to any contact with Europeans. In less than 50 years all this was destroyed.

Our people watched sadly as the new immigrants indiscriminately slaughtered and drove our sacred whales to the brink of extinction. According to our teachings, our chiefs abstained from the whale hunt to save this species, despite our unextinguished right.

After wasting our whales, the same special interests have slowly expropriated our ocean access and demolished our other traditional fisheries of salmon, groundfish and shellfish. The result is my people have joined the whales' predicament: facing extinction and being driven from our ocean homes.

From thousands of proud fishermen with 100-per-cent employment, our licenses now number less than 30. Our children now face 90-per-cent unemployment and the resulting dysfunction, social breakdown and even suicide.

I encourage people to educate themselves about the history of our people. The Nuu-chah-nulth will not give up our traditional relationship with our friends, the whales, to be in an industrial system that has continually destroyed all the resources our Creator has given us in trust.

/S/ Chief Simon Lucas
Hesquiaht First Nation
Tofino in the Province of British Columbia
Clayoquot Sound Vancouver Island