A Whale Hunt

How a Native American Village Did What No One Thought It Could

By: Robert Sullivan

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Paperback | 16 May 2002

At a Glance

Paperback
288 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.64 x 14.0 x 1.83

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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.

Industry Reviews

Jonathan Raban The New York Review of Books A book that is at once enthralling, fair-minded, and very funny.
Nathaniel Philbrick The New York Times Book Review Marvelous...Sullivan has a very Ishmael-like talent for being both funny and generous, and at times A Whale Hunt reads like Cool Runnings meets Northern Exposure.

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Editorials	p. 13
The Car Ride	p. 17
Cape Flattery	p. 22
The Cape Motel	p. 25
The Museum	p. 30
The Crew	p. 36
A Descendant of Kings	p. 38
Squire	p. 41
The Captain	p. 43
The Whaler--An Ancient View	p. 46
The Whaler--A Modern View	p. 50
The Canoe	p. 52
Details	p. 55
The Protestors	p. 59
Whalers of the World	p. 62
Potlach	p. 66
Whales	p. 73
The Grayness of the Whale	p. 75
Donnie Doesn't Kill a Seal	p. 80
All Riled Up	p. 86
The Experiment	p. 92
Enter the Protestors	p. 96
Prophets	p. 100
The Media Arrive	p. 104
The Shanty	p. 106
Preparations	p. 108
The Crew Comes Upon a Whale and Decides Not to Hunt It	p. 111
Exit the Protestors	p. 115
On Watch	p. 118
A Prayer Closet	p. 120
Q & A	p. 122
The Resident Issue	p. 124
The Prince of Monaco	p. 126
On the Beach	p. 128
Evil	p. 135
Slaves	p. 137
The Negatives	p. 139
Cast Away	p. 143
Stories	p. 146
Truce	p. 148
The Problem	p. 149
A Promotion	p. 149
Follow the Whale	p. 155
Save the Whales	p. 158
On Late-Twentieth-Century Pictures of Whales	p. 161
Good Verus Evil	p. 165
Los Angeles	p. 168
A Vision	p. 170
On the Road to Baja	p. 175
Scammon	p. 179
Salt	p. 184
Touched	p. 186
Back in Neah Bay	p. 189
On the Job	p. 190
Wayne to Court	p. 193
The Germans Weren't Around	p. 196
Responsibility	p. 200
Sensible	p. 204
A Hand	p. 206
Fish-in	p. 207
Painkiller	p. 211
Fuck-Ups	p. 215
The Shakers Are Coming	p. 216
A Bullet	p. 220
A Leak	p. 223
Anchored	p. 224
Red-Faced	p. 227
Whales Are Everywhere	p. 229
Alone	p. 231
Wayne Meets Theron	p. 232
Stuck	p. 233
Wayne	p. 235
The Peak	p. 236
A Hunt--Day One	p. 238
A Hunt--Day Two	p. 244
A Hunt--Day Three	p. 252
After a Whale Is Dead	p. 266
Notes	p. 279
Acknowledgments	p. 285
Reading Group Guide	p. 287
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

A Whale Hunt

How a Native American Village Did What No One Thought It Could

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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