SEQUIM — Two Sequim 16-year-olds chose one of the most controversial issues in their home state for the prize-winning History Day documentary that will take them to Washington, D.C., next month.

Olivia Boots and Rachel Haugland’s documentary on the history of whaling by the Makah tribe is just 10 minutes long.

But “Makah Whaling: The Enduring Battle for Tribal Sovereignty” is the product of hours of interviews, three trips to Neah Bay and the Sequim High School students’ own insights into Makah culture.

“It became obvious to us that the Makah do have the right to whale,” Haugland said.

And based on their research, she and Boots believe limited hunts would not significantly hurt the gray whale population.

When Haugland and Boots visited the Makah reservation, they were given a warm welcome.

Tribal members served them fresh-caught halibut, and told them the stories of their ancestors.

The experience taught the girls that whaling “is an essential part of their culture, and the foundation for everything they do,” Boots said.

She and Haugland embarked on their project a few weeks after Sept. 8, the day five Makah men killed a gray whale during an illegal hunt in the Strait of Juan de  Fuca near Neah Bay.

Wayne Johnson, Andy Noel, Frankie Gonzales, Theron Parker and William Secor Sr. were indicted on charges of violating the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Johnson and Noel were found guilty April 7 in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, and face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Gonzales, Parker and Secor had pleaded guilty March 27 to a single count each of violating the act, and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Oesterle recommended that they serve no jail time, though they face fines and five years’ probation.