Tribal Name: (Kwih-dich-chuh-ahtx) pronounced roughly as kwi-dih-chuh-at).
Tribal Language Group: Wakashan
Enrollment: 2800+
US State Historical Locations: Washington
Official Website & Social Media
https://makah.com/
History
The Makah Tribe, known as the “People of the Cape,” has inhabited Washington’s northwest tip for millennia. Renowned as expert mariners, their identity is anchored in the sea, a relationship codified in the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay—the only U.S. treaty securing the right to hunt whales. The excavation of the ancient Ozette village sparked a cultural renaissance, reviving dormant traditions. Today, the Makah exercise sovereignty in Neah Bay, honoring their ancestors through language preservation, cedar carving, and canoe journeys while protecting their treaty rights.
Continue Reading
Relatives
The Makah occupy a unique cultural position on the Olympic Peninsula, where their closest ancestors are actually separated from them by international waters. Linguistically and culturally, they are part of the Wakashan-speaking family, making them true kin to the Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht, and Pacheedaht First Nations across the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Vancouver Island. When the 1846 border was drawn, it politically divided these families, though they remain connected today. On the American side, the Makah are bordered by the Quileute and Hoh to the south and the various Klallam bands to the east. While they share the peninsula with these tribes, they are historically distinct, often engaging in complex relationships of trade, intermarriage, and warfare with these Salish and Chimakuan-speaking neighbors.
Media Gallery
Tribal Area Map
Resources
1. Official Tribal Resources Makah Tribe Official Website: Information: Governance, current news, departments, and general history. https://makah.com/ Makah Cultural and Research Center (The Museum): Information: Detailed history of the Ozette excavation, cedar culture, and the Nuu-chah-nulth connection. https://makahmuseum.com/
2. Legal & Treaty Documents Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs (WA): Information: Full text of the Treaty of Neah Bay (1855), including Article 4 (Whaling Rights). https://goia.wa.gov/tribal-government/treaty-neah-bay-1855 NOAA Fisheries: Information: Current legal status of the Makah grey whale hunt and management plans. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/marine-mammal-protection/makah-tribal-whale-hunt
3. History & Archaeology (Ozette) HistoryLink (Encyclopedia of Washington State History): Information: Detailed account of the “Pompeii of the West” (Ozette Village) discovery and excavation. https://www.historylink.org/File/5302 National Park Service (Olympic National Park): Information: Overview of the Makah people’s relationship with the land and the Cape Flattery region. https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/historyculture/the-makah.htm
4. Language & Culture University of Washington (Burke Museum): Information: Information on the “Potlatch” traditions and the Ozette collection held in trust. https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/culture/ethnology/collections/ozette
Leave a comment