The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-01
INDIANS WHALE HUNTING.
METHODS OF THE MAKAHS OFF
CAPE FLATTERY.

|
Ordeal Which the Novice Must I'm
dergO Told by Member of the Tribe
Singing the Sacred Whale Song.
Being literally born, bred and
brought up on the waters of the Paci-
fic ocean and river, contests are the
pride and boast of the Makah Indians.
They can spin their craft against the
trongest current in ocean and river
with the greatest daring and bravery.
They can course along the coastland
where no ordinary vessel could travel,
and Withal it is seldom that a Makah
Indian finds watery grave,
Before Makah Indian can assume
or bear the name of whale hunter,
writes Henry T. Marki Shturn, mem
Der of the tribe, in the Seattle Post
| lntelligencer, he must undergo many
ordeals. He must battle his body in
cold water two or three times each day
for three or four moons. He must rub
his body with the favorite tWigs of a
tree that the family has preserved for
generations at his bath and he must be
sure that the head of his body brush is
pointing to the region where the sun
rises, and he must never throw 1t away
as that indicates great misfortunes as
we'll as short life.s He must pray to the
Spirit on high, He-ta-artse-suthi Cha
bot" who watches over him and the
universe, and ask his guidance toward
many achievements.
He is often seen wandering around
graveyards and secluded places where
1t is quiet and along sombre banks Of
a river. He VIII gather from ten to
, fifteen skulls and trail them behind him
at night. He will take a newly buried
body, dig it up and lisa it as a means
of achieving his success, bending up
and down to initiate the up and down
course Of the whale in the water while
he is bathing. If he is bathing in the
salt water, he will initiate the motions
and movements Of whale, diving and
spouting for hours at a time, This the
hunter always undertakes at night, so
that no one may observe his style.
These are not the only requisites, but
strength and agility as well are neces-
sary. Thu hunter must be man of
action and have the confidence of his
followers.
Now, suppose you come and join a
whaling venture to the halibut banks
off Cape Flattery. Our whaling canoe
has been pulled down the beach with
all the parapherna1ia used in the at
tack, and our hunter has purchased five
days rations at the post traders store
for his crew. Each one has provided
himself with other delicacles as we'll as
an outfit that he will be clad In and
couple of blankets. Darkness Is
shrouding the village-an opaque night
breathless and black beneath a cluQded
sky. The rolling clouds are intensified
by an occasional glimmer of the moon.
and nearer at hand. the village lights
illuminate the water front
The men are barefoot their breaches
rolled up, and waiiaz in the wat = as
theyg push off from the shore. They
sit up stiff and shrdg their shoulders in
an effort to sit comfortably; but 1t is
dark-quite dark and quite chilly. We
paddle off and you hear nothing be-
You'd a monotonous dip Of the paddle
in the water till we get out of the bay.
In the Strait of Juan de F'uca there is
breath of air stirring and we make
direct course to the west of the Tatoosh
and tie to kelp that fastens in tons to
the bottom of the sea and wait for the
mornings first break. Our men all
hubble themselves in the vacant re-
cesses of the canoe and try to sleep.
The stern man, "Cle-chab," wakes up
about three o'clock and 1T is time to
go''-'Shough ko-dook shutl ITCH" his
orders ring. The others sit up, stiff
and cramped, paving and rubbing their
eyes, a nd begin to sputter in native
cultural ''is lang" We paddle off and
soon go round the lighthouse and are
fairly out in the Pacific ocean. Now
we are conscious of q sense of move
ment, the long, slow swell Of the Pa
cific. The canoe seems to climb up and
up an interminable slope, and then
wallowing OWN and Own until it seems
that the bttm Of the sea must be with
in reaching distance of the bottom of
the canoe. This long ascent is repeated
at equal intervals and the canoe swins
noiselessly onward bound for the
banks"
The whales are in sight, spouting the
water-like geysers in action, accompa-
MED with a peculiar noise interpreted
by them as pooh bo-o-oh." These@e-
viathans are very numerous when the
schools of herring and smelt are in
these waters, and they are then easier
to approach. We are ready for the at
tack and pursuit, so our men select the
whale that appears to be the easiest
victim. 1t is always customary to
place some one on the Lookout in case a
whale is struck, so that signals can be
exchanged or given for assistance with
paddle and transmitted with a song
that has been transmitted from genera
ton to generation. This is a peculiar
bit of music arranged on an andante
plan of phrasing, a long drawn cres-
cendo bawl.
The hunter prepares his harpoon and
the other men busy themselves, each
one at the task assigned to the posi-
ton where he sits. The monster select
ed comes up and emits streak Of va
por and goes down again, and each one
paddles for all he is worth, for the
hour and minute to act has come. The
| a4oo,,,, -, al tbp StarT1 va re-