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A Whale Hunt: How a Native-American Village Did What No One Thought It Could
The critically acclaimed New York Times Notable Book about a Native American tribe's quest to regain the lost art of whale hunting, from the author of The Meadowlands .
For centuries the hunting of the whale was what defined the Makah, a Native American tribe in Neah Bay, but when commercial whaling drove the gray whale to near extinction in the 1920s, the Makah voluntarily discontinued their tradition and hung up their harpoons. In 1994, after the gray whale was taken off the endangered species list, the Makah decided to hunt again. The problem was that all the old whalers were dead—no one knew how to go about hunting a whale.
A Whale Hunt chronicles the two years Robert Sullivan spends with the Makah as they prepare for and stage the first hunt. Combating tribal infighting and inexperience, they must also face passionate, furious animal rights activists and swarming reporters. Before the ragtag group of hunters even pursues a whale, there are clashes, disappointments, and defeats, small triumphs and unexpected heroes.
A book of many layers and revelations, A Whale Hunt is the story of the demise and attempted resurrection of a Native American nation and of the individuals on the reservation whose lives are forever changed.
For centuries the hunting of the whale was what defined the Makah, a Native American tribe in Neah Bay, but when commercial whaling drove the gray whale to near extinction in the 1920s, the Makah voluntarily discontinued their tradition and hung up their harpoons. In 1994, after the gray whale was taken off the endangered species list, the Makah decided to hunt again. The problem was that all the old whalers were dead—no one knew how to go about hunting a whale.
A Whale Hunt chronicles the two years Robert Sullivan spends with the Makah as they prepare for and stage the first hunt. Combating tribal infighting and inexperience, they must also face passionate, furious animal rights activists and swarming reporters. Before the ragtag group of hunters even pursues a whale, there are clashes, disappointments, and defeats, small triumphs and unexpected heroes.
A book of many layers and revelations, A Whale Hunt is the story of the demise and attempted resurrection of a Native American nation and of the individuals on the reservation whose lives are forever changed.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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189 people want to read
About the author
Robert Sullivan
153 books78 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robert Sullivan is the author of Rats, The Meadowlands, A Whale Hunt, and most recently, The Thoreau You Don’t Know. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York magazine, A Public Space, and Vogue, where he is a contributing editor. He was born in Manhattan and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/robert...
Robert Sullivan is the author of Rats, The Meadowlands, A Whale Hunt, and most recently, The Thoreau You Don’t Know. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York magazine, A Public Space, and Vogue, where he is a contributing editor. He was born in Manhattan and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/robert...
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 4, 2024
logging for the sake of my reading challenge because i am horrifically behind. it was good idk
June 12, 2014
The Makah Indian Tribe hunts a whale, which is their right by treaty.
The Save the Whales people and other anti-whaling people try their best to stop the hunt.
This is big news in every country that has hunted whales.
But the IWC has given permission. So the Makah Indians try to learn how to whale like their ancestors. They practice and pray and argue. Not every Makah Indian is in favor of whale hunting, not every white person is against. But the situation does stir up a lot of anti-Indian sentiment (for example when the Puyallup tribe supports the whale hunt, Puyallup high school receives a bomb threat). Emotions were running high. While the Makah tribe practices their paddling and harpooning techniques they are harassed by protesters with fire extinguishers, insults and blaring whale music. The Makah generally do not rise to the provocation, although there were instances when it occurred.
I found myself almost immediately in the book when I read this description of a young Makah man who was originally on the whaling team but eventually dropped out: "He was a kind of Save the Whales whaler, who saw environmentalism and whaling as compatible if conducted on ancient Native American terms." I had to laugh as that would be me alright. Never mind that I don't think anyone else should ever kill whales unless in a desperate need for food.
So I was wondering about that, is that the romanticizing of the American Indian that is so popular that I have fallen into? Is it that I loved a native boy when I was young and so I defend his rights even though I haven't seen or heard of him in almost 40 years? Probably a bit of both.
Well the Makah Indians certainly weren't perfect. They have their own personal and national peculiarities and foibles. And I was kind of saddened by the death of the whale and grossed out by the carcass and butchering. But I am saddened whenever I pass stockyards or cattle trucks and grossed out by the carcasses and butchering of cows and other animals. As Wayne, the Captain of the whale hunt says to some protesters one day, "Go stand in front of McDonalds". He has a point.
If the Makah decided to go commercial I would find that objectionable as the whales (and other species in the ocean) have suffered terrible depletion. The Gray Whale, once so populous, was nearly wiped out by commercial whaling. I mean, these commercial whalers were out there with giant whale processing factories. It is absolutely worth fighting commercial whaling and I am so glad for the success that the Save the Whale people (of whatever particular group) have had.
But this isn't commercial whaling that the Makah were doing, it was religious and symbolic, trying to recapture a culture that had nearly been completely destroyed by the Europeans who took over the land and killed most of the Indians and forced their children to give up their culture. Now they want to Save the Whales. OK, how about saving the Indian? That is what the Makah hunt was all about, trying to find and save their identity. I support that even if a few whales have to die for the cause. I don't know if the whale hunting helped the Makah or not. But I want to go visit the museums in Neah Bay, hike the trails, see the dig and spend some money in Neah Bay. I would assume tourism helps. I also think that if the Makah gave Whale Watching tours that it could be profitable for them. They are kind of short on jobs and money, or at least they were at the time this book was written in 1999. Overall my feeling is good for the Indians, I would not have been out there protesting.
As far as the book goes, I liked it a lot, felt like the author was successful in putting across differing viewpoints. I was not that excited about all the commentary on Moby Dick, I had to force myself to read that part. I do have an interest in Herman Melville though which made the Moby Dick parts easier to get through.
The Save the Whales people and other anti-whaling people try their best to stop the hunt.
This is big news in every country that has hunted whales.
But the IWC has given permission. So the Makah Indians try to learn how to whale like their ancestors. They practice and pray and argue. Not every Makah Indian is in favor of whale hunting, not every white person is against. But the situation does stir up a lot of anti-Indian sentiment (for example when the Puyallup tribe supports the whale hunt, Puyallup high school receives a bomb threat). Emotions were running high. While the Makah tribe practices their paddling and harpooning techniques they are harassed by protesters with fire extinguishers, insults and blaring whale music. The Makah generally do not rise to the provocation, although there were instances when it occurred.
I found myself almost immediately in the book when I read this description of a young Makah man who was originally on the whaling team but eventually dropped out: "He was a kind of Save the Whales whaler, who saw environmentalism and whaling as compatible if conducted on ancient Native American terms." I had to laugh as that would be me alright. Never mind that I don't think anyone else should ever kill whales unless in a desperate need for food.
So I was wondering about that, is that the romanticizing of the American Indian that is so popular that I have fallen into? Is it that I loved a native boy when I was young and so I defend his rights even though I haven't seen or heard of him in almost 40 years? Probably a bit of both.
Well the Makah Indians certainly weren't perfect. They have their own personal and national peculiarities and foibles. And I was kind of saddened by the death of the whale and grossed out by the carcass and butchering. But I am saddened whenever I pass stockyards or cattle trucks and grossed out by the carcasses and butchering of cows and other animals. As Wayne, the Captain of the whale hunt says to some protesters one day, "Go stand in front of McDonalds". He has a point.
If the Makah decided to go commercial I would find that objectionable as the whales (and other species in the ocean) have suffered terrible depletion. The Gray Whale, once so populous, was nearly wiped out by commercial whaling. I mean, these commercial whalers were out there with giant whale processing factories. It is absolutely worth fighting commercial whaling and I am so glad for the success that the Save the Whale people (of whatever particular group) have had.
But this isn't commercial whaling that the Makah were doing, it was religious and symbolic, trying to recapture a culture that had nearly been completely destroyed by the Europeans who took over the land and killed most of the Indians and forced their children to give up their culture. Now they want to Save the Whales. OK, how about saving the Indian? That is what the Makah hunt was all about, trying to find and save their identity. I support that even if a few whales have to die for the cause. I don't know if the whale hunting helped the Makah or not. But I want to go visit the museums in Neah Bay, hike the trails, see the dig and spend some money in Neah Bay. I would assume tourism helps. I also think that if the Makah gave Whale Watching tours that it could be profitable for them. They are kind of short on jobs and money, or at least they were at the time this book was written in 1999. Overall my feeling is good for the Indians, I would not have been out there protesting.
As far as the book goes, I liked it a lot, felt like the author was successful in putting across differing viewpoints. I was not that excited about all the commentary on Moby Dick, I had to force myself to read that part. I do have an interest in Herman Melville though which made the Moby Dick parts easier to get through.
December 24, 2012
found this book in a local second-hand bookstore. I knew nothing of the Makah tribe or the whale hunt, but knew immediately that the book would be a fascinating read. Native whaling rights in an age of vehement opposition to whaling was bound to be explosive subject matter.
The author doesn't sensationalise the issue. He lets the story unfold at its own pace, with humour. While he undertakes his own journey, including interludes on Moby-Dick, he does not preach a particular view. The story itself demonstrates the complexities of the issues and the opposing sides. If I was to make any criticism, it would be that his description of the people involved can sometimes be overly simplistic, bordering on patronising.
In summary, this is a terrific book that makes you question your own ethics. I encourage everyone to have a read and approach the issue with an open mind.
The author doesn't sensationalise the issue. He lets the story unfold at its own pace, with humour. While he undertakes his own journey, including interludes on Moby-Dick, he does not preach a particular view. The story itself demonstrates the complexities of the issues and the opposing sides. If I was to make any criticism, it would be that his description of the people involved can sometimes be overly simplistic, bordering on patronising.
In summary, this is a terrific book that makes you question your own ethics. I encourage everyone to have a read and approach the issue with an open mind.
June 25, 2009
As a sometimes PETA donor, I approached this book steadfastly opposed to the idea of a modern whale hunt—Native American or otherwise—but through Robert Sullivan’s sympathetic account of the Makah tribe, I found myself gradually warming to the Makah’s plan.
Sullivan account is moving, in part, because he embeds himself in the life of the tribe— hanging out with the young men as they train for the hunt, paling around with the support crew, sleeping in a leaky tent at the edge of town, taking his meals at the Makah Maiden. And Sullivan remains with the Makah after their first failed hunting season, long after the news helicopters are gone.
Seeking perhaps to fortify his story of the Makahs, in numerous footnotes, Sullivan includes interesting details from Herman Melville’s life and from Moby Dick, the natural companion to any whale hunt. I enjoyed the literary history, and Sullivan certainly draws some interesting parallels, but he never quite brings the two stories—the Makahs and Melville—together in any sort of satisfying way.
Above all else, I appreciated the book’s journalistic authenticity. Sullivan doesn’t idealize his subjects. He shows members of the whaling crew struggling with drug addiction, the law. Some of the men have a rather tenuous grasp of the tribe’s traditions. Others can’t articulate why it is they need to kill a whale. I can imagine critics seizing on this information to condemn the hunt and the hunters, but these details drew me closer to the Makah. I began to wonder if, just perhaps, the hunt really is a necessary step towards preserving the Makah’s cultural heritage.
Sullivan account is moving, in part, because he embeds himself in the life of the tribe— hanging out with the young men as they train for the hunt, paling around with the support crew, sleeping in a leaky tent at the edge of town, taking his meals at the Makah Maiden. And Sullivan remains with the Makah after their first failed hunting season, long after the news helicopters are gone.
Seeking perhaps to fortify his story of the Makahs, in numerous footnotes, Sullivan includes interesting details from Herman Melville’s life and from Moby Dick, the natural companion to any whale hunt. I enjoyed the literary history, and Sullivan certainly draws some interesting parallels, but he never quite brings the two stories—the Makahs and Melville—together in any sort of satisfying way.
Above all else, I appreciated the book’s journalistic authenticity. Sullivan doesn’t idealize his subjects. He shows members of the whaling crew struggling with drug addiction, the law. Some of the men have a rather tenuous grasp of the tribe’s traditions. Others can’t articulate why it is they need to kill a whale. I can imagine critics seizing on this information to condemn the hunt and the hunters, but these details drew me closer to the Makah. I began to wonder if, just perhaps, the hunt really is a necessary step towards preserving the Makah’s cultural heritage.
July 6, 2010
I love the way the author winds his way in and out of the stories of all the people involved in the controversy over the hunt of the grey whale by the Makah people. He talks to the idealistic protestors, the organizers of the hunt, and everyone in between, while all the time inserting footnotes about Melville and Moby Dick and trying to see connections among these literary, symbolic and historic journeys. I didn't want the book to end b/c I like the way he thinks. I have to get to Neah Bay this summer!
June 8, 2012
I started this book, wondering how such a story could or should be written at a time, when Whales are so endangered, but getting into the mind and culture of this Indian tribe (the Makah)made me think, and made me rethink my whole way of looking at the earth and its problems. It is all a lot more complex than one could ever think. It also reads well as a travel book, though the writing is not always at an even level, but give it a read, and thrill yourself.
June 25, 2008
Non-fiction book retelling the tale of a modern day whale hunt. Author's style is somewhat slow and hard to continue to read, but the story itself is good. If you are interested at all in the issue of whaling, it's an important piece to read.
May 12, 2009
Amazing story. The middle of the story gets dry, but the overall book is an incredible look at a piece of hidden american society and struggle.
August 18, 2008
Might be one of my favorite books.
January 17, 2018
This was a book that I was torn on while reading, finding myself liking certain parts but then really not liking other parts. The book discusses the successful Makah whale hunt, which revolves around Makah (a Native American tribe) and their decision to establish a gray whale hunt after the species was removed from the Endangered Species List (due to a rise and recovery in the population). In such, one would assume that the book is about the issues surrounding this hunt, reported to us by Robert Sullivan--a witness to these events.
Here are the positives:
1) The book *attempts* to remain neutral. I side with many other reviews and suggest that Sullivan doesn't entirely know where/when to take a stance on this. Yet it does become clear that he supports the Makah whale hunt, or at least he does not outwardly dismiss their treaty rights and cultural need to do so.
2) There are chapters that offer insight to anti-whaling protests, including Watson from the infamous Sea Shepherd and other members/founders of Greenpeace.
3) Short chapters. A quick read. It moves rather quickly.
Here are a few of the problems that I had:
1) The story has moments where it goes all over the place. While I appreciate Sullivan's musings about his different trips in the Seattle region, some of these passages have very little to do with the Makah and/or whaling. I suppose these are interesting moments to some. To me, seemed like page fillers.
2) Lots of references to Moby-Dick or, The Whale. Problematic because I don't like the idea of paralleling Makah culture with Melville's work. Again--there are some interesting references that Sullivan pulls from Moby Dick but only via footnotes. Interesting? Not necessary? It was hard to tell throughout the book.
Overall
A decent book that is at least 50% about the Makah and whaling, although there are moments where Sullivan wanders off and talks about other things that take away from the main theme of the book. Still worthy of a read.
Here are the positives:
1) The book *attempts* to remain neutral. I side with many other reviews and suggest that Sullivan doesn't entirely know where/when to take a stance on this. Yet it does become clear that he supports the Makah whale hunt, or at least he does not outwardly dismiss their treaty rights and cultural need to do so.
2) There are chapters that offer insight to anti-whaling protests, including Watson from the infamous Sea Shepherd and other members/founders of Greenpeace.
3) Short chapters. A quick read. It moves rather quickly.
Here are a few of the problems that I had:
1) The story has moments where it goes all over the place. While I appreciate Sullivan's musings about his different trips in the Seattle region, some of these passages have very little to do with the Makah and/or whaling. I suppose these are interesting moments to some. To me, seemed like page fillers.
2) Lots of references to Moby-Dick or, The Whale. Problematic because I don't like the idea of paralleling Makah culture with Melville's work. Again--there are some interesting references that Sullivan pulls from Moby Dick but only via footnotes. Interesting? Not necessary? It was hard to tell throughout the book.
Overall
A decent book that is at least 50% about the Makah and whaling, although there are moments where Sullivan wanders off and talks about other things that take away from the main theme of the book. Still worthy of a read.
March 2, 2020
For this documentary of a 1999 whale hunt that was carried out amid the furor of Save the Whales activism, Sullivan also makes literary comparisons with characters in Moby Dick, as well as the life of Herman Melville. The book is very relevant 20 years later, because the Makah's are currently petitioning to restore their tribal rights to whale hunting: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/us...
If you've ever made your way to the NW corner of the lower 48 at Neah Bay, or anywhere in the vicinity, or if you are planning to get up there, I highly recommend this book. If you have any interest in the contemporary plight of Native Americans, or of whales and whaling and anti-whale hunting activism, this is also a must read. And even if you're not interested in any of these things, read it anyway, because Robert Sullivan is a brilliant journalist, poetic, wry, compassionate and a most patient observer of humans and human relations. Plus he really appreciates and understands the wild landscape.
If you've ever made your way to the NW corner of the lower 48 at Neah Bay, or anywhere in the vicinity, or if you are planning to get up there, I highly recommend this book. If you have any interest in the contemporary plight of Native Americans, or of whales and whaling and anti-whale hunting activism, this is also a must read. And even if you're not interested in any of these things, read it anyway, because Robert Sullivan is a brilliant journalist, poetic, wry, compassionate and a most patient observer of humans and human relations. Plus he really appreciates and understands the wild landscape.
March 28, 2022
A good and interesting book about a 21st century whale hunt, an event I had previously heard nothing about - so much for the German documentary mentioned. I really enjoyed the writing style (even though I'm not a huge fan of first perspective writing, in this case, it was fitting) and the author seemed to genuinely care about what he was writing about - namely the whale hunt of the Makah and the people involved. The many positions, people and places mentioned were described in an interesting and (in my opinon) respectful manner. Especially the conflict between tradition and modern morals really came across well. While I was at first confused at the mentions of Moby Dick in the footnotes, later the author's intention was made clear and I enjoyed them even without knowing it. Overall, a good book and I was very happy to read this informative work for uni.
March 7, 2025
I’m heading to this area this summer and I’d like to familiarize myself as much as possible. This was a very interesting account of a fairly recent event for the Makah people. I wouldn’t put it on a must read list, but I’m glad I read it. I’m not sure which side of the hunt I would stand on but it does make you think about the loss of ritual and spirituality for all of us, not just native people. I commend them for trying to bring it back..
June 10, 2020
This book was hard for me to get through and I read it for a class. It gives a lot of background on the Makah whaling revival and gives a good look at it. However I found the writing very boring and it dragged on a lot.
July 22, 2021
This was a very well written book, which is not always easy for a white writer to write about indigenous issues. He was able to give the indigenous perspective respectfully, but was also pretty unbiased when it came to the protestors as well.
October 17, 2024
My biggest takeaway from this book was that Sullivan really likes Moby Dick
June 26, 2020
I don't know why, but the way that Sullivan told this story really just bothered the shit out of me. It's like he couldn't make up his mind on whether he wanted to write the book from a neutral standpoint, or if he wanted to write it in favor of the Makah (which he clearly was). His research was pretty weak, and it felt like he just threw the book together after he hung around the Makah for a while and watched the hunt, but realized it would sell better if he played it like he had some deep spiritual connection.
It's a cool topic, and it could've been a fucking great story and book if Jon Krakauer had written it.
It's a cool topic, and it could've been a fucking great story and book if Jon Krakauer had written it.
December 5, 2019
4.5 stars. However you feel about the subject - the decision of the Makah tribe to resume their traditional practice of whaling - this account of their first modern hunt and the context and controversy surrounding it is intelligent, fascinating and very human. I couldn't put it down.
March 11, 2007
The New York Times Magazine article that her wrote on the subject will suffice. He doesn't have that much more to say on the topic, other than some personal anecdotes.
June 27, 2007
ok. maybe it's not totally brilliant, but it is for the most part really well written and a great read. thanks to moe for the excellent suggestion.
May 28, 2015
Not engaging at all! Very hard to make myself read. I finally gave up ( which I never do!)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews