Hundreds mourn Makah leader’s death

NEAH BAY, Wash. – Nearly 1,000 people in Neah Bay mourned the death of Edward Eugene Claplanhoo, a leader of the Makah Indian Nation.

Claplanhoo, 81, died of a heart attack March 14. Under his leadership, he helped create the Makah Cultural and Research Center in Neah Bay. Claplanhoo was the tribal chairman when the Ozette village, buried in a mudslide in the 1700s, was uncovered. Claplanhoo managed to maintain tribal artifacts in Neah Bay with the opening of the cultural center.

Claplanhoo was the Makah’s first college graduate, earning a degree in forestry in 1956 from Washington State College – now Washington State University. He also served in the Army.