MOHAI’s annual Denny Lecture presents the very best in regional historical scholarship. This year, Dr. Joshua Reid discusses the historical context around modern Makah whaling and articulates a traditional future for their people.

In 1999, the Makah Tribal Nation successfully hunted a gray whale. This action drew the ire of animal rights activists who often rooted their criticism in racism and stereotypes of indigenous authenticity. Drawing from the tribal nation’s relationship with the sea, this talk will focus on Makah statements and actions from the eighteenth century onward that illustrate how they have made and continue to maintain the surrounding marine waters as their own.

A member of the Snohomish Indian Nation, Dr. Reid is associate professor of History and American Indian Studies at the University of Washington and author of The Sea is My Country: The Maritime World of the Makahs (Yale University Press), recipient of four major book awards.

Location: MOHAI

Cost: $10 for MOHAI members / $15 general public