<+>=<+>KOLA Newslist<+>=<+>
 

[article provided by LH. Thanks!]

http://flash.oregonlive.com/cgi-bin/or_nview.pl?/home1/wire/AP/Stream-Parsed/OREGON_NEWS/o1570_AM_WA--Shellfishing

First Indian commercial shellfish harvest on private land goes smoothly

The Associated Press
02/16/00 5:01 PM Eastern

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) -- The first Indian commercial harvest of shellfish on
non-tribal land in Washington state has come off without a hitch.

Working beneath a three-quarter moon Tuesday night, about 20 Suquamish
tribal members moved slowly through the sand and gravel of Erland Point,
raking the beach with claw-hooked forks at the edge of Dyes Inlet in an
attempt to gather 2,000 pounds of clams.

"This is a real stepping stone for us," said Merle Hayes, a tribal official.
"We're hoping people now will be less fearful about Indian diggers on
non-Indian land."

Several digs have occurred on private non-Indian beaches since Dec. 20,
1994, when U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie upheld a provision in the
1855 Point No Point Treaty that guaranteed the signatory tribes the right to
take shellfish from "usual and accustomed grounds."

The one Tuesday night, however, was the first in which shellfish were
harvested for commercial sale.

The clams taken from beachfront adjoining property owned by Robert and
Sharon Tucker and three other homeowners were sold to Chuck Dahman, a Hood
Canal shellfish grower and dealer, for shipment to retailers in Hawaii.

"It's a big deal for the Indians, no question," Dahman said. "They won in
court. Judge Rafeedie made the decision, not me.

"So these people who say to me they don't like it, well, the fight's over.
That's the way the pickle squirts."

In 1820, whites bought land in the area from the Indians for $1. Sharon
Tucker's grandfather, Paul Benjamin, later bought the land and a part of his
purchase remains in the family.

"A few years ago, I was the caregiver for a woman over on Oyster Bay who
didn't like the thought of Indians digging clams on her beach," Sharon
Tucker said.

"I thought then, well, gee, why not let them? I grew up here, but the
Indians were here for centuries before my grandfather got here. How could
anyone say no? "

An opposition group, United Property Owners of Washington, will watch the
digs closely to assure that property rights are respected, executive
director Barbara Lindsay of Camano Island said.
 

<+>=<+>
Information Pages: http://users.skynet.be/kola/index.htm
Online Petition: http://kola-hq.hypermart.net
Greeting Cards: http://users.skynet.be/kola/cards.htm
<+>=<+>
if you want to be removed from the KOLA
Email Newslist, just send us a message with
"unsub" in the subject or text body
<+>=<+>