The Makah Indians Use of Forest Materials

Anne Hacker

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Canoe Contstruction
The Longhouse
Clothing
Makah Basketry
Other Uses of the Forest
Makah History
Works Cited

Natural resources are the building block for all societies. The knowledge of how to use these natural resources shaped the culture of Native Americans and the traditions of use were in sharp contrast to European use patterns. Members of these tribes had to know specific uses of hundreds of different natural resources, because each resource had a beneficial element to contribute to the Native American way of life. It was also important to pass knowledge on to the younger generations so they would know how to sustain life in their traditional manner. Every resource played its part in keeping the world alive and thriving. This belief was common especially within Native American culture and spirituality. The tribe that is the focus of this paper is the Makah. The Makah share this belief.

“Makah” means “generous with food (Renker).” This name was given to them by neighboring tribes in the area. The original name of the Makah tribe was “Kwih-dich-chuh-ahtx,” which can be translated into “people who live by the rocks and seagulls” or “cape people” (Renker) (Riley 57). Their native tongue is Nootkan, shared by many of their neighboring tribes. The Makah inhabited most of the Northwest coastal areas of the United States, and have always been a very resourceful tribe. They used a variety of natural materials to improve their way of life. To many people in the area, the Makah are known as people of the sea and forest because that is where they get most, if not all, of their materials for living. In early America the Makah tribe relied on materials from the forest to supply most of their needs.

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Canoe Construction

Canoes held a central place in Makah culture. Canoes were essential for whaling and sealing, two activities at while the Makah excelled. The Makah preferred to use Western Red Cedar trees (Thuja plicata) to construct their massive canoes (Western Red Cedar). The canoe construction process was time consuming and normally done by skilled craftsmen of the tribe. Once the cedar tree was chopped down, the craftsmen would carve a rough outline of the hull (the bottom) of the canoe. The shape of the canoe depended on the type of canoe being constructed; there was a slightly different shape and proportion for each style of canoe according to its intended purpose. After the hull was finished, the Makah craftsmen would turn the canoe over and hollow out the inside using various tools made of bone and rocks; once again taking into account the type of canoe they were making. The craftsmen would then fill up the inside of the canoe with water and fire-heated stones. This softened the interior and made it easier to manipulate the sides of the canoe outward to their intended width and shape (Wray). These processes allowed the canoe to be gently shaped keeping the wood strong and stable. They constructed canoes like this for war crafts, children’s canoes for practice, fishing, and of course for whaling and sealing. These canoes ranged in size from thirty to three-hundred feet and occasionally, even bigger for special occasions and for war (Home of the Makah People).

The branches of the cedar tree were used for twine, fishing line, and rope cords because they were strong and flexible (From Cloth to Canoes). The Yew tree (Taxus brevifolia) also provided materials that contributed to the construction of the canoe; for example canoe bailers and paddles. This tree was also used for halibut hooks, harpoon shafts, clubs, spoons, game paddles, dishes, trinket boxes, and had some medical uses. Yew tree needles were good for brewing cleansing baths that would open the pores of the skin and release toxins in the body. It could also be smoked in a pipe with other plants or just by itself (Taxus Brevifolia).

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The Longhouse

Another important use of forest materials was for building longhouses. These were also mostly constructed from cedar wood. The Makah built these houses for portability, so they were easily constructed and taken down. Upright poles held on the side planks of the longhouses and overlapping planks made up the roof. The overlapping of the planks made it easy to move parts of the roof to let in fresh air and sunlight. Also, they used big rocks to hold the planks in place so they could not be moved by strong winds or animals. The interior of the longhouses varied. Some had only one or two rooms, but others had several separate living areas (Home of the Makah People). In earlier days, whole families would live in one longhouse (Renker). However, as the Makah started to become more exposed to European influence, individual families started to build single homes and break away from tradition (Riley 57-63).

In the discovery of an ancient Makah village near Neah Bay, buried in a mudslide roughly five-hundred years ago, there was a particular longhouse where many Makah artifacts were excavated from (From Cloth to Canoes). This site is called Ozette. In that longhouse, the excavators documented that it was easy to see, from each room inside the house, what each person’s occupation had been. There was evidence of a wood workers area, hunter’s area, fisher’s area, a regular workers area, and other trades. There was also evidence of tables and benches used for working on, sleeping on, and for providing storage. These were also made from cedar wood. The underneath storage area is where many of the ancient artifacts in Ozette were found. The excavators also found woven mats made from cedar bark, cattail, or tule, around or attached to the benches. It can be assumed that these mats would be rolled onto the benches and serve as some kind of mattress or bed. These mats were also used for wall liners, to cover temporary shelters, and for canoe covers (Home of the Makah People) (Basketry).

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Clothing

Clothing was another necessity that was made from forest materials. The western red cedar tree was probably the most beneficial tree to the Makah tribe because they used it for almost everything, including their clothing. The bark was ideal for making clothing because it had moldable properties. They would form the bark into the shape they wanted by pounding it. This would make it soft and able to wear as clothing, or used for other soft materials like napkins, ropes, rain hats, or diapers. It was light, dried quickly, and was flexible so it made the perfect on the go type of outerwear. Clothing was also made using a loom, which were traditionally made from spruce (Picea) trees (Trees). By stripping the inner cedar bark into tiny but long pieces, it was easy for the Makah women to dye it and use it for thread to make colorful costumes and everyday clothes on the loom. Intricately detailed blankets and other things were also made using the loom. These items were also something that was traded to other tribes (Home of the Makah People).

Another use of red cedar bark was for weaving hats. Makah women, and other Native American women on the Northwest American coast, wove unique hats using a combination of red cedar bark, yellow cedar bark, and bear grass. Interwoven with each other, these materials made an attractive looking hat. These hats were cone shaped, with a knob at the top in the same form, and were secured in place by a cord that fit snugly under the chin (Willoughby 67). The Makah were creative with these hats and usually wove a significant design or figure onto the outside. These hats would also be traded to voyagers and explorers who came in contact with the Makah people. Many of these hats are currently on display in various Native American museums around the United States (Willoughby 66).

Ceremonial gear was also made from the red cedar tree as well as totem poles, musical instruments, ceremonial masks, headdresses, boxes, bowls, tools, utensils, art, wallets and countless other objects (From Cloth to Canoes). Excavators from the Ozette site found many wallets made from cedar bark. These wallets were used to hold combs, fishing hooks, harpoon heads for whaling, and a variety of small animal bones.

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Makah Basketry

Basketry has a special cultural significance with the Makah. The Makah were noted to be expert weavers. Once again, the main natural resource used for basket materials was the red cedar tree. Many different parts of this tree were usable for basketry. They would typically strip and dry young cedar trees in the springtime and use their flexible, strong, young, smooth, inner bark to form the shell of the basket. When the bark was dried it made it easier to split, fold, and store (Basketry). In addition to cedar bark, with it ever-present use by this culture, the Makah used a combination of different trees, shrubs, and bear grass in their baskets (Basketry).

Many different resources were needed to make the beautiful traditional Makah baskets and often to contribute to the various colors of the baskets. These materials were often collected during the late spring, summer, and early fall so they could be prepared for the winters basket production (Basketry). Baskets were also used for trading. Other tribes, who may not have had access to the same materials as the Makah, would trade their goods, made from materials the Makah did not have in the territory, for Makah baskets. There is also documented evidence that the Makah would trade their baskets with Europeans who would sporadically come to the Washington coast in early America; many of those baskets are still around today (Riley 57-64).

The Makah still make baskets in the same style and with many of the same materials as they did in the ancient Ozette village. The way they construct their baskets is quite intriguing. One of the main methods the Makah women use to create baskets is through twined weaving (Cha-ma).

Basically, twine is twisted together in a certain way until a basket is formed. Also, there are different types of twining that can be done. The Makah, more specifically, use a bird-cage twine weave. This type of twining is not much different from the regular twine weave, but produces a different look (Mason 350). In addition to the bird-cage twine, the Makah have a unique way of skillfully twisting the materials together so you see the pattern or design only on the outside (Mason 249). Normally, the pattern will also show on the inside, but it is a less attractive look. That is why Makah baskets are so appealing, because they have an inside that is bare, but still have a beautiful pattern on the outside.

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Other Uses of the Forest

Along with providing supplies for building material culture, the forest also provided a source for meeting the physical needs of the Makah Indians. The forest supplied lush sources for many different fruits, berries, shrubs, roots, and various other edible plants. These could be mixed with their catch of the day from the ocean and create a balanced, nutritional meal. There were also deer, rabbits, and other animals that could be hunted in the forest and used for food (Renker). Another purpose of forest resources was to enhance the physical attributes of the Makah people. Physical appearance and personal hygiene were two very important issues to the Makah. They would go to great lengths to keep themselves looking beautiful. Massage was especially utilized for this process. The older people of the tribe would rub themselves with branches of hemlock or cedar bark fiber, always with an upward motion, and the younger people would be massaged by hand. Makah women also used many different materials from the forest for personal hygiene purposes. They used a unique device for keeping their faces from appearing greasy. They heartily rubbed dried, twisted, softened inner bark of young cedar trees on their faces in an upward motion. This helped to remove grease and also provided a smooth facial surface. Wrinkles were believed to be prevented by massaging the tips of hemlock branches in the same upward motion as mentioned before. Many women would use this massage technique daily. To improve the quality of their long, think hair, huckleberry sprouts were pounded, mixed with water, and applied directly to dry hair (Densmore 566-567). The Makah were very creative in utilizing the materials from the forest.

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Makah History

The Makah have always dwelt on Washington’s Northwest coast. They made their living by whaling, sealing, hunting, trading, and using various materials the forest had to offer to their benefit. Early in American history, the Makah had made several different encounters with foreigners; primarily Europeans. Europeans were very interested in what the Northwest coastal areas of America had to offer and liked to trade with many tribes and other native peoples who lived there. This also helped the Makah to survive; because they could rely on Europeans to trade their goods with. One negative thing about the early contact of Europeans with the Makah was that throughout the sporadic contact, the Europeans successfully brought about changes to the culture, spirituality, landscape, and many other sacred aspects indigenous to the Makah tribe. Many tribal members tried very hard to keep their traditions going, but eventually, many were lost. When the European’s finally settled in America, they tried to strip the Makah of their culture and attempted to enforce adoption of more European habits. Some of the early signs of this acceptance of European behaviors were the modernizing of the housing. Extended families went from living together in one big longhouse, to immediate families living separately in single houses. Another indication of the enforcement of cultural changed was restricting their whaling practices. While these restrictions coincided with the over-harvesting of whales by large-scale commercial whaling ventures, it had a devastating impact of this cultural tradition among the Makah. Only recently have the Makah gained their whaling privileges back and are whaling once again. They still experience much negative publicity by people with and without direct intent of destroying this portion of their cultural heritage. While much is always lost from cultures as two cultures blend, the Makah experienced a great deal of intentional efforts by outsiders that had the intent of erasing their cultural heritage. Fortunately, this was not completely successful and many of the early Makah traditions are still practiced today (Riley 57-63).

Although the Makah were primarily a sea-faring tribe, they still needed to use multiple forest materials in their everyday life. The structures, sacred masks, baskets, tools, hats, and clothing were all constructed using mostly products from the nearby forest. The Makah became very creative and knowledgeable about how to use different materials from the forest and incorporate them into their way of life. As the Makah continue to tell their stories and pass down their traditions, they remember their ancient culture and how they got to where they are today.

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Works Cited

“Basketry.” Makah Cultural and Resource Center. <http://content.lib.washington.edu/cmpweb/exhibits/makah/basketry.html>

Densmore, Frances. “Conscious Effort toward Physical Perfection among the Makah Indians.” American Anthropologist Dec. 1923: 564-567.

“From Cloth to Canoes-The Many Uses of Cedar.” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. <http://www.hud.gov/local/shared/working/r10/
nwonap/cedaruses.cfm?state=wa>.

Halter, Kathy; et. al. . “Chapter 15-Weaving and Dyeing Materials.” <http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/agib666/aib66615.pdf>.

“Home of the Makah People.” Makah Cultural and Research Center. <http://www.makah.com>.

Keith, David. “Honeysuckle Aphid.” <http://entomology.unl.edu/ornamentals/
pestprofiles/hsaphid.htm>.

Mason, Otis T.. “The Hudson Collection of Basketry.” American Anthropologist April 1900: 346-353.

---.. “The Technic of Aboriginal American Basketry.” American Anthropologist Jan., 1901: 109-128.

Renker, Ann M.. “The Makah Tribe: People of the Sea and the Forest.” University of Washington. <http://content.lib.washington.edu/
aipnw/renker.html>.

Riley, Carroll L.. “The Makah Indians: A Study of Political and Economic.” Ethnohistory Winter 1968: 57-95.

“Taxus brevifolia.” Gymnosperm Database. <http://www.conifers.org/ta/ta/
brevifolia.htm>.

“The Language of Native American Baskets From the Weaver's View.” Basketmaking Associations. <http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/baskets/
subpage.cfm?subpage=tech_tech>.

“The Yew Tree.” Canopy Critters. <http://www.evergreen.edu/ICAN/education/
TRFwebsite/yewinfo.htm>.

“Trees.” North Caronlina State University. <http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/
hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/scientific_namesa_c.html>.

“Virginia Creeper.” Tennessee Valley Authority. <http://www.tva.gov/river/
landandshore/stabilization/plants/virginia_creeper.htm>.

“Western Red Cedar.” WACD Plant Materials Center. <http://www.wacd.org/
PMC/PlantSheets/Western%20Red%20Cedar.pdf>.

Willoughby, Charles C.. “Hats from the Nootka Sound Region.” The American Naturalist Jan., 1903: 65-69.

Wray, Tina Brewster. “Canoes of the Native Northwest Coast People.” White River Journal. <http://www.wrvmuseum.org/journal/journal_ftbr_0499.htm>.

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