Opinion ID: 387939
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Hoko River

Text: 13 Anthropological evidence established that the Hoko River was subject to joint use and control in treaty times. Contending that the Hoko should be subject to their exclusive control, the Makah relied on the testimony of an archaeologist who said he found Makah baskets about 2,000 years old at the Hoko River. 14 Judge Boldt found the anthropologist's interpretation more persuasive. He noted that the archaeological evidence had nothing to do with use of the Hoko River at treaty times and, at most, proved only that Makah baskets had once been used at the Hoko. They could have been obtained through trade or used by the Makah wives of Elwha Indians. In any event, Makah presence on the Hoko is not inconsistent with Elwha presence there.