NEAH BAY — Nathan Tyler will head the Makah Tribal Council following Gordon Smith’s resignation.
The council officially accepted Smith’s resignation Tuesday after he said he was taking a new job as Bureau of Indian Affairs trust officer for the Makah reservation.
“Chairman Smith performed a valuable term of service to the Makah people, and we look forward to his continued service in his new capacity of trust officer,” Tyler, who previously served as vice chairman, said.
The Makah Tribal Council appointed former councilman and tribal chairman Ed Claplanhoo to serve out the remaining two months of Smith’s council term.
Claplanhoo is the first American Indian to graduate from Washington State University in Pullman.
He is the son of the late Ruth Emily Claplanhoo, who died in August at age 100.
She was the oldest living Makah tribal member and the last fluent speaker of the Makah language.
————–
The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
