===== A message from the 'makahwhaling' discussion list ===== FROM WASHINGTON CITIZEN'S COASTAL ALLIANCE --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Folks, you did an outstanding job on the Tuesday call-in campaign! Your efforts and persistence are making the Makah killing an issue that can not be ignored. Congratulate yourselves on a great job, and now we move to the next phase: THE UPCOMING RALLY IN PORT ANGELES! (We have heard that there MAY be a celebrity or two at the Port Angeles rally... we'll certainly let you know the details as soon as we can, but plan on being there!) In the meantime, keep those letters and calls coming! If you haven't called your congressional representative, do it now! If you haven't written a 'Letter to the Editor' to your local newspaper, do it now! We've received credible information that the Makah whalers are out on the water once again. We don't need to tell you what this means... so we MUST keep up the pressure and stop this once and for all. The next step? Take a day and come visit the brave and wonderful people who have been fighting the federal government and the Makah killers since day one- they would love to meet you, and we know you'd love to meet them. Let's have a great turnout- we'll see you in Port Angeles! ***** RESPOST- HUGE RALLY IN PORT ANGELES! ---------------------------------------------------- A HUGE show of support for the gray whales will be held in downtown Port Angeles. Those of you that couldn't make it out to the highway protests should plan on attending this rally! Grab the family, round up your friends and let's ALL show our support for the gray whales! The Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales (PCPW) will hold a rally at the Clallam County Courthouse in downtown Port Angeles, WA at 10:00 am on June 8, 1999- right before the County Commission meeting. The PCPW recently demanded that the Clallam County Commission issue a resolution condemning the Makah whale killing. This rally will demonstrate to the Commission that such a resolution would have overwhelming support from the public, and would go far to mitigate the economic damage done to the citizens of Clallam County by the Makah whale killers. If there is only ONE rally you are able to attend- THIS ONE IS IT! Spread the word about this event far and wide..... Contact Chuck Owens (360) 928-3048, or Dan Spomer (360) 317-6345 DIRECTIONS: Take Highway 101 to downtown Port Angeles, take a left on Lincoln St. The location is at 4th and Lincoln, across from Safeway ***** ONE MORE RALLY IN SEATTLE! ------------------------------------------------- A rally, set for Saturday, June 5 in downtown Seattle, will protest the Makah's killing of a gray whale. Organizers hope to halt further gray whale slaughter and to raise awareness concerning the hunt. The rally is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Westlake Park, on the corner of Fourth and Pine. For more information call (206) 226-4328. ***** WE COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER ---------------------------------------------------------- (From a "Letter to the Editor" in the Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles) No ritual slaying of any kind will help guide the Makah back to their roots, for it is corruption from within that is ruining their culture. Looking back to what was, instead of forward to what could be, is not a solution. Yes, they may feel like big men now, but wait until this rush wears off and they are left with themselves again. Like the serial killer, they will need to kill again to satisfy their blood lust. To know the Makah have so lost touch with the majestic nature that surrounds them, that they have to kill in order to feel spiritual, is a sad state of affairs indeed. -Pat, Sequim ***** CHECK OUT THIS SITE ----------------------------------- Here are two sites to bookmark and visit often! In addition to http://www.safepassing.org , there is another new site that many of you may find interesting- pay a visit to: http://www.stopwhalekill.org and see what they have to share! ***** PORT TOWNSEND STUDENTS TASTE MAKAH WHALE DEBATE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Janet Huck, Leader Staff Writer The Leader (Port Townsend, WA.), Wednesday, May 26 1999 When James Hendricks moved back to Port Townsend two years ago, his sometimes blue hair was readily accepted by his fellow students. But since the 13-year-old member of the Makah tribe told his friends he wanted to grow up to be a whaler, like his cousins from Neah Bay, some called him names. Some even stopped talking to him. "He didn't understand why they were cold and indifferent to him when he didn't think he had changed at all," said his mother, Terri McQuillen. McQuillen and her family, who have lived in Port Townsend for the past 37 years, have been shunned by friends and mistreated by stangers since the Makah's controversial whale hunt. "Some friends have chosen not to speak to us and walk away when they see us," said McQuillen, crying as she talked. She added, however, that some friends have called to offer supoort, even though they may not support the whale hunt. "It's a misunderstanding of the culture and traditions," said her mother, Mary McQuillen, a true Makah princess and a longtime Port Townsend resident. "It's hard to explain our way of life. But when we explain our side, many people can understand it. Racism happens because of ignorance." For decades, the McQuillens have used an educational approach to prevent racism. Mary has spoken in schools for years about the Makah culture and traditions. Family members have also supported the school's use of the nickname "Redskins" for its athletic teams. So when the taunting and name calling in school began, Terri approached Blue Heron Middle School Principal Ami Fields to ask if she could speak to her son's seventh-grade classrooms. However, Terri didn't mention she was going to bring whale meat for the students to taste, according to Fields. The principal agreed to the presentation. "I wanted to educate people about the Makah perspective, " she explained. "And I wanted to help our students express their viewpoints without hatred. Whatever we can do to prevent hate crimes is a benefit." The main focus of the seventh-grade curriculum is to teach about the different world cultures in order to develop tolerance, added Fields. "The hunt put the curriculum to a test," she explained. "We have a conflict of cultures right here in Port Townsend." On Monday, May 24th, Terri McQuillen talked to the Blue Heron seventh grade classes. She explained the tribal benefits that allowed the Makah to hunt the whale, showed the treaty that granted them the right, and even offered a taste of whale meat. "It tasted just like beef jerky," said seventh-grader Colleen Torres. Though many seventh-graders were interested in hearing this side of the whale debate, one parent objected to what she thought was a religious presentation. "I don't believe in killing whales," said Patricia Geon, whose 12-year-old son is in seventh grade at Blue Heron. "If this was their religious beliefs, they should keep it on their reservation. They were pushing their beliefs on people who don't believe it." But Terri McQuillen disagreed. "I wasn't trying to convert them," she said. "I just wanted them to understand we are human beings, just like everybody else, and we don't take the life of a whale lightly. We do it to sustain us. Some people can't differentiate between harpooning a whale and slaughtering a cow. It's the same to us." Geon called the teacher, the principal, the superintendent and The Leader, complaining that the parents were not notified ahead of time about the presentation--and especially about the distribution of blubber at the school. "With something as serious as this, they should get clearance from the parents so we can say, 'No, I don't want my child exposed to this.'," said Geon. "Children are not consenting adults." Fields agreed that the schoool should have sent a letter home, giving parents a chance to pull their children out if they objected. "We didn't do it and we should have," admitted Fields. Fields is now going to write a letter to parents to apologize and announce that the school will bring in a local resident knowledgable about preservation of marine mammals to offer an opposing view. Sampling of whale meat will not be allowed again, Fields said. Geon was worried about possible nutritional problems from eating the whale. "Who knows if it's easy to digest?", said Geon. Many other students and parents were supportive, even enthusiastic, about the Makah presentation. Shannon Grewell, the mother of a six-grader and an educational aide at Mountain View Elementary School, said it was a good idea for the Makah presentation because "many of the students were having a tough time understanding why the Indians killed a whale. We have taught them for years to protect and preserve animals." "It's good to get the other side of the story, because the newspapers don't always interview the Native Americans and find out why they did it,' said seventh-grader Danny Wodyja. "They just tell us they killed the whale." "People only get one side and don't listen to other people's viewpoint," said Torres. "It's good to hear all sides." "It's very appropriate to bring in a Makah," said seventh-grader Andrew Poling. "People didn't know about the Makah culture. If they disagree, at least they will know what they disagree with." --end-- Reader Info; Port Townsend Public Schools/Administration 450 Fir Street Port Townsend, WA. 98368 (360) 379-4502 Blue Heron Middle School 3939 San Juan Avenue Port Townsend, WA. 98368 (360) 379-4540, -4511 office, -3617 fax City Attorney's Office City Hall 540 Water Street Port Townsend, WA. 98368 (360) 385-5991 Terri McQuillen does not have a published phone number. ***** THEY SAID IT -------------------- "I am probably quite a bit smarter than you... I am looking forward to my next whaleburger and I will think of you with much sympathy as I bite into it." (Excerpted from a letter by Allen Ingling, Makah "veterinarian" to a list subscriber on June 1, 1999) *****