You are members of the Makah Tribe, a coastal Washington community on the Olympic Peninsula that has a long cultural history of subsistence whaling. Written into your treaty is a clause that allows you to hunt a whale periodically. You are the only Native American Tribe allowed to hunt whales. You should know that gray whales have recently been taken off the endangered species list. How long ago? You will need to find out. Your task will be to justify to the rest of the class the reasons why you should continue to be allowed to hunt gray whales, what exactly you will do with the whales you hunt, and the relationship of your culture and whaling. You will need to examine the treaty to see exactly how often you are allowed, by law, to hunt and how many whales you may take. Don’t forget to talk about the process of whaling, the history of Makah whaling and what whaling means to your tribe. Are there any benefits to the environment from whaling? Be sure to include this information. Possible websites to look for information: • National Council for Science and the Environment • The Makah Tribe: People of the Sea and the Forest • Makah Tribe • Federal Government Reaffirms Makah Indian Whaling Rights * You should also check out the General Links! You may present your information to the class either as a paper, a powerpoint, or a poster. http://ncseonline.orghttp://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/renker.htmlhttp://www.makah.comhttp://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2001/jul01/noaa01r121.htmlGeneral_Whaling_Information.htmlshapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_2shapeimage_4_link_3shapeimage_4_link_4