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No mercy
By Mark Herman
California Gov. Pete Wilson is unlikely to grant clemency to a Thai national on death row, despite appeals from jurors, lawyers and the warden of San Quentin
(11/13/98)
Beware of the black CON-servative
By C.D. Ellison
An African-American Republican talks back to David Horowitz
(11/13/98)
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By Marc Cooper
No matter what the House of Lords decides, former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is finally being held resonsible for the death of President Salvador Allende -- and Chilean democracy
(11/12/98)
The costs of Mitch
By Mary Jo McConahay
Can a hurricane threaten the fragile new democracies of Central America?
(11/12/98)
A day to remember?
By Jeff Stein
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___The whaling that wasn't
Environmentalists and Indians clash over whether gray whales matter more than native culture and treaty rights.
BY DAVID NEIWERT | NEAH BAY, Wash. --The gray whale that was feeding off the outlet of Snow Creek last week, along the northern coast of Washington, probably had no idea it was in peril as it occasionally raised its barnacle-encrusted back to the surface and blew a plume of mist into the morning air. No more than two miles away, the gray whales' ancient hunters, the Makah Indians, were preparing once again to take to boats with harpoons in hand, for the first time in 76 years, to pursue the creatures that had provided them sustenance, both physical and cultural, for centuries prior to the arrival of white men.
Meanwhile, a crowd of mostly white people, clustered on a nob overlooking the sea pillars near where the gray whale fed, gathered to loudly protest the planned hunt. "Stop the slaughter of gray whales," shouted a big sign draped on a truck, blood dripping from the words. Just offshore, a couple of large boats manned by even more white people patrolled the harbors, vowing to intervene if the Makahs dared venture out.
The conflict over Makah whaling has become a bizarre cultural war, setting historical allies -- environmentalists and Native Americans -- at each other's throats with escalating threats and actual violence. It reached a head two weeks ago when marine-mammal activists from the Sea Shepherd Society tried to land at the harbor amid a gathered mob of tribal members they had worked into a smoldering anger. First they tried to bring a caravan of protesters onto the Makah reservation, but were turned back just outside of town, near the tribal cemetery, hurling epithets -- "Savages!" -- that bordered on racist. Then they buzzed the harbor with their boats, shouting protests through megaphones.
The Makah responded with a hail of rocks, but the protesters persisted. The confrontation climaxed when Sea Shepherd leader Lisa Distefano came to the dock in a staged "invitation" from a dissenting tribal member. Someone pushed her off the dock and into the water, and in the ensuing melee, Distefano and three of her compatriots were handcuffed and arrested by tribal police. One of them, with a gashed forehead, was led away bleeding.
After pictures of the near-riot played on the evening news for the next few days, though, both sides -- perhaps realizing they had gone too far -- backed off. The Makah in particular had come off looking bad; the reservation's yahoo element (including some members of the whale-hunt party) were largely responsible for the violence, enabling the Sea Shepherd provocateurs to play their traditional media role of free-speech martyrs.
But the fierceness of the Makah response gave the environmentalists pause as well. The customary object of Sea Shepherd protests is a corporate whaling venture from Japan or Norway, or one of the pirate operations that circle around those nations' whaling industries. They're not used to confronting a tiny, relatively powerless Indian tribe whose members believe they are only trying to revive their sacred heritage -- as well as defending their treaty rights, which may be even more sacred in these secular times.
The Makah claims to a cultural connection to whaling cannot be dismissed. A fierce, warlike tribe given to enslaving members of neighboring bands in the centuries before they were nearly wiped out by smallpox and missionaries, the Makah were renowned even among white explorers for their dramatic whale hunts. Moreover, the hunt (and the spirit of the whale) are central to the tribe's mythical and artistic culture, as a visit to the tribe's museum in Neah Bay -- featuring the striking products of an archaeological dig at the tribe's traditional village site 15 miles south -- will attest.
Consistent with the experience of other tribes on other reservations, the Makah elders' efforts to revive their heritage has sparked a general resurgence of tribal pride, particularly among young people. The members of the whale-hunting crew are revered like rock stars by teenagers at Neah Bay High, and elementary school kids talk about wanting to learn more about their people's history and culture.
N E X T+P A G E+| Are the Makahs fronting for the Norwegians and Japanese?

A L S O +T O D A Y Target: Saddam By Jeff Stein Forget inspections. The goal is to bring him down this time, says David Kay, who led the first U.N. inspection team in Iraq Paula Jones lawsuit settled A Salon Staff Report Clinton coughs up $850,000, but no apologies T A B L E+T A L K Newt resigns! Mull over the soon-to-be-former speaker's decision in the Headlines area of Table Talk R E C E N T L Y No mercy By Mark Herman California Gov. Pete Wilson is unlikely to grant clemency to a Thai national on death row, despite appeals from jurors, lawyers and the warden of San Quentin (11/13/98) Beware of the black CON-servative By C.D. Ellison An African-American Republican talks back to David Horowitz (11/13/98) He can't go home again By Marc Cooper No matter what the House of Lords decides, former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is finally being held resonsible for the death of President Salvador Allende -- and Chilean democracy (11/12/98) The costs of Mitch By Mary Jo McConahay Can a hurricane threaten the fragile new democracies of Central America? (11/12/98) A day to remember? By Jeff Stein Police and federal agents brace for violence as anti-abortion forces observe a new "holiday" (11/11/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.
		___The whaling that wasn't Environmentalists and Indians clash over whether gray whales matter more than native culture and treaty rights. BY DAVID NEIWERT \| NEAH BAY, Wash. --The gray whale that was feeding off the outlet of Snow Creek last week, along the northern coast of Washington, probably had no idea it was in peril as it occasionally raised its barnacle-encrusted back to the surface and blew a plume of mist into the morning air. No more than two miles away, the gray whales' ancient hunters, the Makah Indians, were preparing once again to take to boats with harpoons in hand, for the first time in 76 years, to pursue the creatures that had provided them sustenance, both physical and cultural, for centuries prior to the arrival of white men. Meanwhile, a crowd of mostly white people, clustered on a nob overlooking the sea pillars near where the gray whale fed, gathered to loudly protest the planned hunt. "Stop the slaughter of gray whales," shouted a big sign draped on a truck, blood dripping from the words. Just offshore, a couple of large boats manned by even more white people patrolled the harbors, vowing to intervene if the Makahs dared venture out. The conflict over Makah whaling has become a bizarre cultural war, setting historical allies -- environmentalists and Native Americans -- at each other's throats with escalating threats and actual violence. It reached a head two weeks ago when marine-mammal activists from the Sea Shepherd Society tried to land at the harbor amid a gathered mob of tribal members they had worked into a smoldering anger. First they tried to bring a caravan of protesters onto the Makah reservation, but were turned back just outside of town, near the tribal cemetery, hurling epithets -- "Savages!" -- that bordered on racist. Then they buzzed the harbor with their boats, shouting protests through megaphones. The Makah responded with a hail of rocks, but the protesters persisted. The confrontation climaxed when Sea Shepherd leader Lisa Distefano came to the dock in a staged "invitation" from a dissenting tribal member. Someone pushed her off the dock and into the water, and in the ensuing melee, Distefano and three of her compatriots were handcuffed and arrested by tribal police. One of them, with a gashed forehead, was led away bleeding. After pictures of the near-riot played on the evening news for the next few days, though, both sides -- perhaps realizing they had gone too far -- backed off. The Makah in particular had come off looking bad; the reservation's yahoo element (including some members of the whale-hunt party) were largely responsible for the violence, enabling the Sea Shepherd provocateurs to play their traditional media role of free-speech martyrs. But the fierceness of the Makah response gave the environmentalists pause as well. The customary object of Sea Shepherd protests is a corporate whaling venture from Japan or Norway, or one of the pirate operations that circle around those nations' whaling industries. They're not used to confronting a tiny, relatively powerless Indian tribe whose members believe they are only trying to revive their sacred heritage -- as well as defending their treaty rights, which may be even more sacred in these secular times. The Makah claims to a cultural connection to whaling cannot be dismissed. A fierce, warlike tribe given to enslaving members of neighboring bands in the centuries before they were nearly wiped out by smallpox and missionaries, the Makah were renowned even among white explorers for their dramatic whale hunts. Moreover, the hunt (and the spirit of the whale) are central to the tribe's mythical and artistic culture, as a visit to the tribe's museum in Neah Bay -- featuring the striking products of an archaeological dig at the tribe's traditional village site 15 miles south -- will attest. Consistent with the experience of other tribes on other reservations, the Makah elders' efforts to revive their heritage has sparked a general resurgence of tribal pride, particularly among young people. The members of the whale-hunting crew are revered like rock stars by teenagers at Neah Bay High, and elementary school kids talk about wanting to learn more about their people's history and culture. N E X T+P A G E+\| Are the Makahs fronting for the Norwegians and Japanese?