A few weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting several members of the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay, WA. The small fishing town sits on the western edge of the Olympic Peninsula bordered by the magnificent Strait of Juan de Fuca and the vast Pacific Ocean. Two characters in the book - Houdini and his sage The Old One - are Makah so it was great to see the village first hand and visit the Makah Museum, where elders June Williams and Kirk Wachendorf generously gave me a private tour. It's a fascinating culture!
This is a proud people who have lived on this land for 4,500 years, yet like all other Native peoples their lives were thrown into chaos by white settlers and the U.S. government. They have never recovered from that travesty. If you're interested in a fascinating learning experience, here's a link to the Makah website: http://www.makah.com/history.html
One interesting sidebar: I met a Makah fisherman, Dan Greene (in red below), who introduced me to his son (the little guy) and two crew members, all named Dan. Why? When they were given Anglo names it's the one they all liked the best. Go figure! Go Packers!
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| Four Guys Named Dan |
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| Skeleton of 30 ton gray whale in Museum |
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| June and Kirk |
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