The Makah people have confusion about their background of Emigration. During parties it is common for the older generation to argue about when the first ships appeared and members voyaged out of the reservation, where did they go to? Some say south of California to serve as seal hunters or the Hawaiian Islands, also they think they were taken to China and Japan. On and Near the Reservation members moved to the Hudson Bay Trading Post on Vancouver Island to trade seal furs, whale oil, and fish.
Families also moved by the Strait of Juan de Fuca to work in the salmon canneries. Other Members moved to eastern Washington to work in the hop fields, where others moved to Seattle to work in the lumber camps. It is said that during the summer season Neah Bay was almost completely empty until the winter months.
In the book "The Makah Indians" it says that "at least 56 of the 104 men and 53 of the 99 women over the age of 25 have lived away from the reservation". Some members went to Portland, Bellingham, Yakima, and California, but mostly these members only moved temporarily and came back to the reservation.
Most of the older members of the tribe will never leave Neah Bay. The new generations will most likely move to areas around the reservation or attend schools at other places in the United States much like young people today. Stay tuned for my next blog post about a interview I had with a Makah tribe member.
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