Makah Indian Tribe History

Makah ('cape people'). The southern most tribe of the Wakashan stock, the only one within the United States. They belong to the Nootka branch. According to Swan the Makah claimed the the territory between Flattery rocks, 15 miles south, and Hoko ruver, 15 miles east of C. Flattery, Washington, also Tatoosh island., near the cape. Their winter towns were Baada, Neah, Ozette, Tzues, and Waatch; their summer villages, Ahchawat, Kiddekub and Tatooche. Gibbs (MS., B. A. E.) mentions another, called Kehsidatsoos. They now have two reservations, Makah and Ozette, Washington, on which, in 1905, there were respectively 399 and 36, a total of 435 for the tribe. In 1806 they were estimated by Lewis and Clark to number 2,000. By treaty of Neah bay, Wash., Jan. 31, 1855, the Makah ceded all their lands at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca except the area including C. Flattery. This reservation was enlarged by Executive order of Oct. 26, 1872, superseded by Executive order of Jan. 2, 1873, and in turn revoked by executive order of Oct 12 of the same year, by which the Makah Reservation was definitely defined.  The Ozette Reservation was established by order of April 12, 1893.

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