Personal Stories
Visiting the Makah Tribe
Three Words Writing Challenge
Traveling in Washington State, my partner and I had the opportunity to visit the Makah Indian Reservation. Within its bounds is the most westerly point in the United States but more importantly, is the fishing village of Neah Bay and its people.
The importance of fishing is quite clear from the number of boats with swaying masts and booms in the harbor.
In pre-historic times, the Makah Tribe had five villages with roughly 3000 people. Today the population of the last remaining town is half that. The long cedar-plank houses are no longer home to the residents and most of the houses appear to have been built at various times between 1900 and 1950. A fairly typical appearance for a remote rural town in the state.
The name of the tribe stems from treaty negotiations where they inherited the Makah name as an incorrect pronunciation of a Salish term meaning “generous with food”. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to enjoy some fry bread, one of my favorite comfort foods.
