SEATTLE — The first written statement of the collaboration between the Makah tribe and the U.S. Coast Guard in vigilance against oil spills in the Strait of Juan de Fuca was celebrated with a traditional potlatch and blessing in the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in Seattle last week.
“It was an amazing event,” said Makah general manager Meredith Parker, one of several tribal members who attended.
“The Makah hosting a potlatch at the federal building in Seattle — that’s unprecedented,” she said.
The memorandum of agreement, or MOA, signed Friday is the first written statement of the working relationship between the Makah and the Coast Guard, who collaborate in preventing and responding to oil spills in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Parker said.
“It leads the way for other tribes to follow suit,” she added.
The agreement was signed by Rear Adm. Keith A. Taylor, commander of the 13th Coast Guard District, and Timothy J. Greene Sr., chairman of the Makah Tribal Council.
“This MOA will solidify an enduring relationship for decades to come,” Taylor said.
“The agreement establishes consensus guidelines of environmental stewardship necessary to succeed over the long term,” he said.
He added that it also “will serve as a model for cooperation between Coast Guard leaders and other sovereign tribal authorities.”
Greene said the pact will enhance “government-to-government consultation.”
Gov. Jay Inslee, who attended the ceremony, praised the agreement as strengthening both the oil spill response program and “the common bond between nations and partners.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Mountlake Terrace, was represented by Jennifer Griffith, her chief of staff, who read a statement saying that the agreement “will help protect our ocean and coastlines from oil spills.”
Between 120 and 150 people were at the ceremony, Parker said.
Makah tribal members included Michael Lawrence, tribal council vice chairman, and Greg Arnold and Ryland Bowechop, tribal council members and students attending universities in the Puget Sound area.
“Everything about the event, it couldn’t have been more perfect,” Parker said.
The potlatch included the blessing of the floor of the auditorium with eagle down.
The thunderbird dance was performed, as were two family wolf dances, she said.
The Makah also named a conference room.
It’s on the 35th floor of the federal building and serves as Taylor’s primary conference room, Parker said.
The name given to the room is Tatoosh.
That honors both a famous Makah chief as well as Tatoosh Island off Neah Bay, which is important both to the Makah, who have used it for centuries, and to the Coast Guard, which once fueled a lighthouse there with whale oil.
Tatoosh Island is strategic for accessing the marine resources found off the Olympic Coast and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Coast Guard said.
The admiral’s conference room “has a sweeping view of Puget Sound,” Parker said, so she found the name to be “very fitting.”
An oil spill response tug has been stationed in Neah Bay since 1999.
State Department of Ecology officials have said oil spill response capabilities are particularly important for the Neah Bay area because of the volume of vessels that move into and out of the Strait and because it is near environmentally sensitive areas such as the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Olympic National Park.
