Last Updated on April 10, 2025
In his American Indian Law Journal article Of Whaling, Judicial Fiats, Treaties and Indians: The Makah Saga Continues, Jeremy Stevens recounts the development of federal Indian law in the United States, and its intersection with conservation regulatory schemes by both the federal and state governments. Of particular focus, is the evolution of treaty-reserved whaling by the Makah Tribe of Washington state.
As Stevens writes, “Whereas once the Makah were warriors, mastering the storms and calms and collecting for their kin the giants of the deep, now the Makah have only their bit of earth, the rain, and a whisper, a hope and a dream.” Denied by federal courts their practice of whaling, once proud and active Makah youth have turned to drugs and alcohol.
As Stevens notes, the absence of whaling presents devastating consequences on Makah health and their collective psyche. Prohibited from hunting whales in exercise of its treaty-reserved right, Makah tribal sovereignty and cultural distinction — linked with whaling as a critical part of its spiritual profile — live under the stress of a concerted effort to derail a religious activity and an important aspect of tribal identity.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
