[4][5] His mother, Ruth Claplanhoo, a cedar basket weaver who died in August 2002 at the age of 100, was the last native speaker of the Makah language.
[4] He left college and took a bus to Fort Lewis, where he was sworn into the Army on November 17, 1950, at 1:30 p.m.[4] He was assigned to the 369th Engineer Amphibious Support Regiment, Boat Battalion, eventually rising to the rank of sergeant first class.
[2] Edward Claplanhoo and Richard Daugherty, who led the Ozette excavation, collaborated to preserve the artifacts found at the site.
[2] Claplanhoo lobbied researchers and Washington state officials in an effort to keep the artifacts on Makah land.
He served as the chairman of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation of Seattle, a member of the Makah committee to promote higher education, and a Neah Bay Assembly of God Church elder.
)[6] Claplanhoo and his wife, Thelma, (together with two other Makah families) donated land to establish Fort Núñez Gaona–Diah Veterans Park in Neah Bay in May 2008.
[4] Edward Claplanhoo approached his mother with the idea of eventually building a memorial to Neah Bay's military veterans on the land, "When my dad passed away, my mother [Ruth] and I inherited this piece of property...Before she passed away, I said to her if you give me your share, I will build a veteran's memorial to honor all the people who left Neah Bay to go to all the wars.
[7] Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo had arrived on the May 29, 1792, and soon established the fort near the Makah village of Deah (present-day Neah Bay, Washington).
[7] Claplanhoo was impressed that sketches of Makah people and their canoes were displayed alongside depictions of Spanish vessels at the exhibit.
[7] Claplanhoo worked closely with the Makah Tribal Council, office of the Lieutenant Governor of Washington, the government of Spain, and the Spanish Honorary Vice Consul Luis F. Esteban during the planning stages.
[3][4] The 2010 Makah Days celebration, which is held annually in August, marked the first time that Claplanhoo did not serve as master of ceremonies since 1965.