Makah Indian Tribe

The Makah Cultural and Research Center (MCRC) will preserve oral histories and facilitate access to archival collections by digitizing and indexing fragile audio reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, and handwritten transcriptions. By creating accessible transcripts from translations of Makah language recordings originally created by elders and fluent speakers, the project will provide avenues for Makah tribal members to learn more about their history, cultural values, and traditional resources. Language learners will gain access to recordings of full Makah speech, which will assist them in attaining fluency. Information gleaned from the audio recordings and transcripts will be used to enhance the MCRC's collections management system and will improve and advance the center's stewardship of these collections.