As in decisions by a city councilman or state senator, the true test of the tribal council's direction will come in the next election of tribal councilman and women. An advisory referendum by tribal members gave approval for whaling, admitted Thompson, but only a third of the eligible voters cast votes - and some were not informed of the process. Whaling is a cultural matter that should be resolved by the Makah people themselves, said Marie Hebert, cultural resources director for the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe in North Kitsap. As a treaty matter, her tribe supports the Makah, she said. Hebert and other cultural directors throughout Western Washington are working on a book to help educate the public about how stories, songs and rituals of various tribes are in some ways similar and in other ways different.
Tribes have a long history of interacting with each other.
As viewed from today's perspective, not all encounters are considered good. Inter-tribal slavery, practiced by some tribes including the Makah, is not a tradition anyone proposes to restore. Earlier this year, said Hebert, canoe teams from many tribes paddled to Puyallup for a major gathering. They told us that a long time ago their people used to hunt whales. But they could tell the whales were becoming fewer and fewer, so they quit.