World of the Makah

     Dating back to 1941,there were two types of residents on Neah Bay, the Makah's and the Whites.  The whites that permanently reside on the reservation control most economic positions.  They own the power plant, hotel, two stores, the fish jetty, and oil business.  The Makah men work at the lumber company and the construction company that the white members own.  
     The Makah men have a few of their own business but are often patronized by the white members of the area.  They own a filling station and garage, three tourist camps and two restaurants.  The clan also owns a fish house, which is used for importing and exporting fish to independent fish buyer's who come to the village in the summer.  By having this fish it it allows for maximum independence and also ability to make the prices to what they want.  Only Makah people can own the land which makes them landlords of their piece of land, they can rent out rooms to residents but also have eviction rights.  Makah people also have a  good handle on firewood.  They use the firewood to cook meals and heat their houses.  
     Makah women have jobs as well, most of them work for the White families by coming in and helping with the laundry and cleaning.  Makah people do not usually work for each other, except for positions in the restaurants owned by Makah people.  Although Makah people work for white they do not have an inferior status to them economically. 
     The Makah people do not use the reservation as much as they have available to them so it has been rumored that they do not care about their reservation.  The history of the Makah land explains that the makah people are almost bound entirely to the natural features of the region, in their myths and folk stories speak on how important the land is.  The story The Two Men who Created Everything is a story about how the land and animals came to be.  Stay tuned for the next blog that goes more into detail about the myths and cosmos of the Makah culture!