Curtis, Asahel. The king of the seas in the hands of the Makahs, Neah Bay(?), Washington. ca. 1910–ca. 1911. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/93506022/.
This lesson is predominantly focused on Native American tribal treaties with the United States government. Depending on the regional location of students, they may or may not have background knowledge of tribes, reservations, and treaties. Most high school students should know the general history of how treaties were the way the US government negotiated the cessation of land and provision of services to Native American tribes.
To begin the lesson, I would have students brainstorm what they know about treaties and what they know about their local tribes’ treaties and the rights and provisions in them. It may be useful to view the video by NPR Why Treaties Matter. Students may also research local tribes’ treaties. Additional resources and links to treaties can be found at the Library of Congress research guide on Native American law.
Whaling is central to Makah culture, deeply tied to spiritual rituals, ceremonies, and traditional art forms like songs, dances, and basketry. It provides purpose, discipline, and essential resources for the community. The Makah tribe explicitly preserved their right to hunt whales in the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay.
Source: https://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/whaling/
Source: : https://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/whaling/
- What animal is on the beach?
- What are the community members doing? What can you infer about their thoughts and feelings? Why?
ELA Standard
ELA IT.11-12.9. Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Social Studies Standard
C4.11-12.2. Analyze and evaluate ways of influencing local, state, and national governments and international organizations to establish or preserve individual rights and/or promote the common good.
Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
- Questions to consider throughout the lesson: Why are treaties important to both Native Americans and the US government?
- What are the rights and provisions found in treaties?
- Why does honoring treaties benefit Native American tribes?
- Extension Questions: Why are reserved rights and provisions in treaties controversial? How are these controversies resolved?
- Students begin by reading the information the Makah tribe has about whaling on their website. Students could read in groups or in partners and take notes on what they find interesting, what questions they have, and why whaling is important to the Makah tribe.
- Project the source photo and have students discuss. What do they notice about the photo? What do they wonder?
- Read Article 4 of the Treaty of Neah Bay 1855. Highlight where it talks about whaling specifically.
- In groups, students research Makah whaling on the International Whaling Commission's website. After the introduction, there are five sections of information. Each group may be assigned a different section to read and present.
- Groups present the information from their research to the class, either live or in an online format. Infographics made online or posters made in class should accompany group presentations. Students viewing the presentations should take notes.
- Students write a composition answering the focus question: Why are treaties important to both Native Americans and the US government?
- Extension Activity: View the documentary Fish War with the class. Students continue extensive research on treaties and reserved rights for a longer research paper.
Curtis, Asahel. Makah Indian whalers landing whales at Neah Bay, Washington. ca. 1910–ca. 1911. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/93506001/.