Micah McCarty, Makah, Artist, former chairman, and new Hereditary Custodian.

Hawt’wilth’iayatuk, is an ancient name that has been passed on for several generations of the Wa-atch village of Makah, this Name was Bequeathed to Micah McCarty during the celebration of life ceremony for Micah’s Father, the Late John A. McCarty.

After graduating from Capital High School in Olympia Washington in 1990 Micah Spent his usual summer time fishing with his father, it was that summer that Micah agreed to spend a year living and working with his father a treaty fisherman in the Makah Usual and Accustom Area, Micah pulled out of South Puget Sound Community college found other educational pathways as the year came to pass, he stayed in Neah Bay, learning through more seasons and the father-son bonding time eventually led to another turning point as the Makah Tribe stood up the Makah Whaling Commission, John McCarty was one of the Inaugural Commissioners and was nominated as the president, he declined and was then nominated as the first executive Director. Micah was immediately appointed by his father as an alternate Commissioner, which exposed him to complex world of national and international intergovernmental- interagency affairs. Micah then quickly engaged himself into Treaty awareness and protection with an eye on public relations as well as giving him more reason to deep the meanings behind his art as he also began to deepen his knowledge of family and tribal histories.

It was not long after those few formative with the Makah Whaling Commission that Micah was asked to run for tribal council. Micah was elected in 2003 and served 3 consecutive three year terms, over the course of 9 years Micah successfully co-created the NW Navy Tribal Council, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary’s Intergovernmental Policy Council, as well as make positive contributions to Makah Economic development, Natural Resource management, and treaty ecology protection.

-Micah was been engaged and involved with a multitude of organizations, the following is a selection of highlights in his career (not in chronological order and not limited to)