Jay Johnson, Department of Geography, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, HI 96822. Email: jayj@hawaii.edu. Makah Whaling: A Geography of Indigenous Self Determination.

Many treaties between the United States and First Nations have reserved the right to fish and hunt in the "usual and accustomed places" utilized by the tribe. The 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay is unique in that in addition to reserving the right to fish it also reserves the right to whale for the Makah nation. The current decision of the Makah nation to resume whaling has created what Louise Pratt calls a "contact zone." Pratt employs the concept of "contact zones" to describe the interactions between the colonizer and colonized. The issue of Makah whaling has created a "contact zone" between the colonized Makah and the environmentalist community acting as neo-colonial agents. A newly created contact zone between the Makah and environmentalists is portrayed in the media representations of their interactions. Both sides have endeavored to shape the media’s representation of Makah whaling in order to gain favor in the general public for their viewpoint. The mass media portrayal of the Makah whale hunt and the environmentalist response has also been shaped by the media controlled by both sides of this argument. The three distinct media representations involved in reporting on this "contact zone," mass media, environmental media and First Nations media, all help not only to portray this event for their audiences but they also replicate a colonial discourse on nature, resources and Indigenous communities.

Keyword: American Indians, cultural geography, environmentalism