STUDIUM GENERALE

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Usual and Accustomed Places

A documentary film directed and written by Sandra Osawa who is a member of
the Makah Indian Nation and co-owns Upstream Productions with her husband, Yasu
Osawa.
This film is an account of the Pacific Northwest tribes' century-long struggle to
uphold their fishing rights and also focuses on the history of the Makah Nation. It
discusses all six of the Native Treaties in Western Washington, beginning with the very
first Treaty of Medicine Creek in 1854. These treaties were to grant natives the rights
to fish in their usual and accustomed places", along with a share of their own land.
However, the U.S. government continually violated provisions in every treaty
throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The actions of the government caused serious
consequences. Millions of natives where displaced, losing 90% of their original lands.
Many were harassed for fishing and arrested for exercising their fishing rights. The
Natives were often threatened with violence to sign these treaties and Governor
Stevens even went so far as to forge signatures. Time and time again the Indians were
misled by the government, forcing them to believe they will never be allowed to fish
in peace.