Proceedings of the Ninth Mountain Lion Workshop - Carnivore ...

The Gray Whales’ Migration Journey, Brenda Peterson describes the divisions
between members of the Makah tribe over the hunting of gray whales off the Northwest
Coast of Washington state. The press had presented the conflict as a polarized issue
between environmentalists and tribal members. Frustrated that other Makah voices were
not being heard, Makah elder Alberta Thompson contacted Peterson and then gathered a
small group in hopes of discussing the issues at hand.
Thompson, a 75 year-old woman, spoke for those elders who opposed the tribal council’s
push toward renewed whaling. As the group ventured out into the open waters of Neah
Bay, they included elder Thompson, writer Peterson, marine biologist Toni Frohoff, a
Makah Tribal Council member and a Whales Alive environmentalist. Once out on the
water, biologist Frohoff began to describe the whale migration patterns.
Gray whales began to surface and approach the small boat. The environmentalist turned
to the Makah council member, and said, “No one knows this land and these waters like
the Makah. You have a cultural history with the whales that would give your whale
watching more dimension than just a business venture.”
The Makah man listened and then looked out over the land and water he called home and,
as Peterson described, “His face lit up. He said, ‘Can you just see it? Can you just see a
boat full of Makah kids meeting the whales?’”
So, as we find our way in this new millennium, we must remember to bring our story
tellers with us. But the choice is up to each scientist. Certainly the mountain lion’s story
can continue to be told as, to use Quammen’s words, “predator pornography” with
snarling jaws and exposed teeth, alternatevely biologists can take the lead and, through
partnership with writers, tell the stories they want to be told about mountain lions.
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