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Conference back40::soapbox

Title:	Soapbox. Just Soapbox.
Notice:	No more new notes
Moderator:	WAHOO::LEVESQUEONS

Created:	Thu Nov 17 1994
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	862
Total number of notes:	339684

447.0. "Whaling" by COVERT::COVERT (John R. Covert) Sat Jun 03 1995 23:05

Washington tribe seeks return to tradition, through whaling
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N.Y. Times

NEAH BAY, Wash. (Jun 3, 1995 - 15:24 EDT) -- The children of this American
Indian village at the far western edge of the continent struggle with the
usual demons of modern life -- drugs, alcohol and violent videos among them.
And like parents elsewhere, Makah tribal members say that a return to
old-fashioned values might be just the thing to bring their youth around.

But in this case, tradition means going out in fierce Pacific Ocean swells
to chase and kill gray whales, which have not been hunted legally in
American waters for more than 40 years.

Citing an 1855 treaty that makes them the only Indian nation with
whale-hunting rights guaranteed by the federal government, the Makah have
announced plans to kill up to five whales every spring, beginning next year.

A whale hunt, they say, would provide focus for a tribe where unemployment
is running at 50 percent and the fishing fleet has been hit hard by
declining salmon runs.

"Right now, there's a real frustration among the kids with what's happened
to fishing," said Andrea Alexander, general manager of the 1,700-member
tribe. "They thought they could grow up and be fishermen, like their
parents. With whaling, they would get to participate in something that has
real cultural and spiritual value, and they could put food on the table as
well."

The Makah plan has caused an international stir, and it poses an acute
problem for the State Department.

For more than a decade, the American government has led the campaign to
outlaw commercial whaling around the globe. But this week, at the
International Whaling Commission's annual meeting in Dublin, the Americans
have been on the spot from an Indian nation within its borders.

The Makah say there is a big distinction between their proposal and
commercial whaling. The Indians want to take whales for subsistence and
ceremonial purposes, not as part of a commercial operation. But opponents
say that it smacks of hypocrisy to allow one group of people to hunt whales
as an indigenous right, but to condemn others claiming the same right -- as
do those in Iceland and Norway, for example.

All of this comes at time when the campaign to save whales is proving to be
one of the major success stories of wildlife conservation. Playful, big-eyed
leviathans that weigh up to 40 tons, gray whales, which are found only in
the Pacific, are flourishing and have prompted a boom in tourist and
recreational services.

There are about 21,000 gray whales -- the highest number in nearly a century
-- according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Last year, they were
taken off the federal list of endangered species.

Taking a mere five whales, the Makah argue, would not dent the population.
The government agrees, but has yet to sanction the hunt. Among other things,
State Department officials are worried about setting a precedent. In Western
Canada, for example, more than a dozen tribes can show a tradition of
whaling. If the Makah are allowed to kill gray whales, why can't natives in
Canada, the argument goes.

The federal government is also worried about black-market trading in whale
meat, which can fetch high prices in Japan.

The Makah, who have held to this rugged corner of the Olympic Peninsula for
nearly 2,000 years, would prefer that they not get enmeshed in environmental
politics or international disputes. A return to whaling is simply a way to
bring back a sense of cultural cohesion for the young, they say.

Twice a year, thousands of migrating gray whales pass this coast of
wind-savaged cliffs and storm-sculpted rocks called sea-stacks.

"Re-establishing a ceremonial and subsistence whale hunt would be a catalyst
which would allow us to instill in our young people the traditional values
which have held our people together over the centuries," wrote Hubert
Markishtum, the tribal chairman, in a recent letter to the State Department.

Although this reservation, 27,000 acres of heavily logged forests and
extensive archeological sites, bans alcohol, there are extensive drinking
and drug problems among the young, tribal officials say. Whaling, which
would require months of physical training and study of ancient techniques,
is seen as way to ground young people in a tradition that has been nearly
forgotten.

If the Makah do begin taking whales next spring, an environmental group with
a record of sinking whale-hunting ships has vowed to intercept the Indians
at sea.

"We have a 95-foot vessel and a submarine, and if we have to, we would put
them between the Makah and the whales," said Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society, based in Marina Del Rey, Calif. In 1986, the group
scuttled two of Iceland's four whaling boats.

The Makah have long been known for their whaling skills, celebrated in
centuries of native art and the photographs of Edward Curtis from the early
20th century. Up to 80 percent of their food once came from whales. They
fashioned eight-person canoes from cedar, and used the crafts to hunt whales
on the high Pacific.

Today, this reservation, with the decline of fishing, has few prospects for
reviving itself. The little community of Neah Bay is considered too remote
-- about a four-hour drive from Seattle -- to support a casino, a business
other tribes have turned to.

The Makah last hunted a whale in 1926, although their treaty specifically
grants them the "right to take fish and of whaling," a provision unique
among Indian treaties, according to government officials.

The whaling commission passed a global moratorium on commercial hunting in
1986, but Norway, Iceland and Japan continue to hunt in defiance of the
international community. The commission does allow some killings by native
people in northern latitudes, where there are few other sources of food.

Opponents say the Makah are a long way from a subsistence life style. They
are building a 300-boat marina, and a new general store has just opened in
town. A number of small motels cater to fishermen and tourists.

"There isn't anyone alive today on that reservation who can go out there and
kill a whale in a traditional manner," Watson said. "They used to keep
slaves, as well. Do we go back to that? I don't see the point in making a
distinction between natives having more of a right to kill whales than
nonnative people."

But another environmental group, Greenpeace, which made its reputation
fighting whalers, does draw a distinction. They are withholding comment on
the Makah request, pending meetings with tribal officials.

The Makah say they do not need permission from anyone to start hunting next
year. But they have filed a formal request to have the United States seek
approval for them from the International Whaling Commission.

"We'd like to follow the rules, and have the blessing of all government
agencies," said Dave Sones, a tribal fisheries manager.

The State Department has yet to settle on a position, said Eileen Kane, a
spokeswoman. But should the Makah end up selling some of the whale meat they
take, the hunt is likely to be condemned. "Our official position is that we
are opposed to all international commercial whaling," Ms. Kane said. "We
have supported limited whaling by indigenous people, but only for
subsistence reasons."

The Makah have not decided exactly how to go about reviving a skill that has
not been practiced here in nearly 70 years. They hope to gain some knowledge
from oral histories in archives of their grand museum here, a major tourist
attraction with thousands of whaling artifacts.

The Makah would hunt with harpoons that explode on impact, which they say is
one of the more humane ways to kill whales. And they plan to work with the
fisheries service to develop hunting guidelines to help conserve the overall
population of gray whales.

For now, this reservation, isolated from the world for so long, seems elated
to be on a small piece of the international stage.

"We may look back on this, 50 years from now, and see it as the turning
point for the Makah," said Sones. "People are really excited."

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
447.1		COVERT::COVERT	John R. Covert	`Sat Jun 03 1995 23:30`	21
	Japan will not halt whaling - minister TOKYO - Japan has no intention of halting whale hunting and will make efforts to persuade the International Whaling Commission (IWC) not to ban whaling entirely, Agriculture Minister Taichiro Okawara said Friday. "Japan has no intention of stopping whaling for scientific purposes," Okawara told reporters. "We will tenaciously negotiate with other nations to attain their understanding." Okawara was responding to an IWC resolution at its annual meeting in Dublin Thursday that urged Norway to stop all whaling activities. The resolution was not directed against Japan. Norway is the only country that continues commercial whaling, defying an international ban by the IWC since 1985. But Japan also continues to hunt whales under a loophole that permits "scientific" whaling. It is seeking IWC approval of a plan to continue killing about 300 minke whales annually for population studies for the next 16 years.
447.2	Buffalo soldier	POLAR::WILSONC		`Sat Jun 03 1995 23:54`	25
	On a train ride back from Edmonton I met a retired man who was half Indian half white. He was on his way back from a hunting trip. I am secretly opposed to hunting as sport but am always ready to hear a good hunting story. This man was coming back from hunting Buffalo. The people he was with got two nice big Buffalo, he showed me the pictures of the slain then skinned beasts. The disturbing element of this story surfaced as the man continued to explain the details of the trip to me. It seems that this man had met a couple of Native Indians on a bus ride some 2 years before. These men promised the older gentleman to take him Buffalo hunting should he ever show up in their neck of the woods. Since natives have virtually unlimited hunting rights, making friends with them guarantees one the same rights as those with whom an aquaintance has been struck. This older gentleman was from Montreal and had lived in Montreal for nearly his whole life, a retired store owner living comfortable and traveling much. His travels he said have taken him hunting just about every province and hunting just about every conceivable animal. "Just make friends with an Indian", he said "and you can hunt any goddamn thing you want any goddamn time of the year". Is this abuse? chris
447.3		MOLAR::DELBALSO	I (spade) my (dogface)	`Sun Jun 04 1995 01:15`	5
	> a retired man who was half Indian half white. > Is this abuse? Doesn't sound like it to me.
447.4	clandestine hunting foes?	MKOTS3::CASHMON	a kind of human gom jabbar	`Sun Jun 04 1995 10:12`	15
	re 447.2 Chris, You're "secretly" opposed to hunting for sport? Well, now that you've told us, it's no longer a secret, is it? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Loose lips sink ships, and all that. Your secret admirer, Rob
447.5	my mom had an affair with santa	POLAR::WILSONC		`Sun Jun 04 1995 10:25`	2
	can I go home now. I think I was offended. I'm so confused.
447.6	MORE secrets?!	MKOTS3::CASHMON	a kind of human gom jabbar	`Sun Jun 04 1995 11:46`	13
	Chris, Exposing your own secrets to this file is one thing, but your mom's secrets?! For shame! ;-) Think we've ratholed this topic enough? (Sorry to all the assorted boxmyns and boxwimmins.) Have a good weekend, Rob
447.7		WELSWS::HEDLEY	Lager Lout	`Sun Jun 04 1995 22:11`	3
	So what does whale taste like, anyway? Chris.
447.8		COVERT::COVERT	John R. Covert	`Sun Jun 04 1995 22:25`	1
	I don't know, but I've heard it turns you into a blubbering idiot.
447.9		CSLALL::HENDERSON	Learning to lean	`Mon Jun 05 1995 02:50`	4
	Tastes just like chicken.
447.11	Sub sinks Indians!	ODIXIE::ZOGRAN	Love the poppies in the median	`Mon Jun 05 1995 13:18`	8
	Ought to be an interesting sight - eco-terrorists in their sub trying to sink a Native American whaling craft. The Left will be in a tither, support the eco's or the Indians, oh dear, oh dear. Whale meat, the only time I tried it, tasted like a slab of cod liver oil. Dan
447.12	just spouting	SMURF::WALTERS		`Wed Jun 07 1995 20:16`	9
	> So what does whale taste like, anyway? Didn't they eat it a lot in the war? There was that old song: Whale Meat again, Don't know where, don't know when.....
447.13	;>	PENUTS::DDESMAISONS	person B	`Wed Jun 07 1995 20:18`	4
	.12 you're a very disturbed individual, aren't you. yes, i think so.
447.14		SPEZKO::FRASER	Mobius Loop; see other side	`Wed Jun 07 1995 20:20`	7
	And there's the Welsh National Anthem - as I remember it from my two year sojourn on Anglesey: "Whales, Whales; Big fish with bloody great tails..."
447.15	well aye	SMURF::WALTERS		`Wed Jun 07 1995 21:52`	4
	Watch it Jock :)
447.16	Cymrae - was good times!	SPEZKO::FRASER	Mobius Loop; see other side	`Wed Jun 07 1995 22:02`	4
	ok Boyo :*)
447.17	The Japanese also kill dolphins...	GIDDAY::MORETTI	Networks Integration, Oz	`Fri Jun 09 1995 04:21`	21
	This whaling thing should have been resolved many years ago and everyone should have told Japan and the others where to get off. Good on the sea-shepherds for the straight-forward method in disposing of the low-life that kill these animals. Indigenous people's rights to hunt animals in this day and age should be repealed as this is a ridiculous argument about "subsistence existance" in a country as "civilised" as the US. Australia are also guilty of allowing the natives to kill as many native animals as they want as this is how they have lived for thousands of years and this should be condemned as strongly as any other issue. The only problem with my argument is that I eat Macca's which just happen to be made with dead animals.....:^( CRIM
447.18		CSLALL::HENDERSON	Learning to lean	`Fri Jun 09 1995 04:40`	3
	whatza macca?
447.19	you want fries with that?	GIDDAY::BURT	DPD (tm)	`Fri Jun 09 1995 04:56`	8
	re<<< Note 447.18 by CSLALL::HENDERSON "Learning to lean" >>> > whatza macca? a loud tennis player on a sesame seed bun? Chele
447.20		CONSLT::MCBRIDE	Reformatted to fit your screen	`Fri Jun 09 1995 12:21`	10
	Indigenous hunting rights should be upheld. The remote location, the low income levels, and the outrageous cost of prepared food stuffs due to the need to imprt everything all contribute to this need. To disallow this is to effectively hamstring the remote communities that cna benefit from this. Beyond that, commercial hunting of whales for whatever reason should be halted. As an adjunct, Prime Time Live or one of those shows did a bit on the hunting of Tigers for their bones, penises, and pelts. It was sickening to watch. Brian
447.21	They do sink ships.	MIMS::WILBUR_D		`Mon Jun 12 1995 18:58`	77
	.0 I was a little doubtful about this story even if it was from the N.Y. Times. I never heard of the shepard society and the only ship sinkings I ever heard about was a Green-Peace ship being sunk by the french or spanish? goverment that killed crew members. But I yanked this from another notes file, its an interesting account of the groups attacks on 'pirate' whalers. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society- Enforcement History Against Illegal Whaling. 1977: The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is founded by Captain Paul Watson, a founding director of the Greenpeace Foundation. Captain Watson resigned from Greenpeace in 1977, citing a need for more aggressive tactics to enforce marine wildlife conservation regulations, including the regulations of the International Whaling Commision (IWC). Captain Watson had previously served as 1st officer on the Greenpeace anti-whaling campaigns of 1975 and 1976. 1979 Captain Watson departs from Boston, United States, with the Sea Shepherd to hunt the pirate whaler, Sierra. The ship is located 200 miles of the Portuguese coast. Captain Watson pursues the Sierra to Portuguse port of Leixoes where he rams and disables her. The ramming is covered internationally and exposes Japanese and Norwegian involvment in illegal whaling operations. 1980: After the Sierra is repaired in Lisbon, Sea Shepherd commandos sink the whaler with limpet mines. The ship is permanently destroyed. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society posts a US$ 25,000 bounty for the pirate whaler, Cape Fisher. The owners of the whaler decide to retire the ship, accusing Sea Shepherd of intimidation. Rewards are posted for the sinking of the Taiwanese whaling fleet. These ships are also retired within a few months. Sea Shepherd commandos sink the Spanish whalers Ibsa 1 and Ibsa 2 in Vigo, Spain. The whalers had violated their quota and were continuing their activities. Sinking the ships effectively enforced the quota violations. 1981: Captain Watson takes Sea Shepherd II to the Bering Sea and to the shores of Siberia, where documentation of illegal whaling activities is carried out. Evidence of Soviet violations of IWC regulations is turned over to the IWC. 1982: The United Nations declares the World Charter For Nature. This charter empowers organisations and individuals to enforce international atson and his crew are fired upon by Faeroese police. The Sea Shepherd II successfully defends herself with pie-filling water cannons. Iceland violates the IWC moratorium. Sea Shepherd commandos retaliate by sinking half the Icelandic whaling fleet and destroying the whaling factory at Hvalfjodur. The attack is an international news story. 1988: Captain Paul Watson travels to Iceland to demand that charges be laid against him for the sinking of the Icelandic whalers. The government refuses to charge him and orders him deported instead. 1992: At the Earth Summit in Brazil in June, Captain Watson warns Norway to respect the commercial whaling moratorium. If not, he says, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will begin sinking Norwegian whalers. Norway drops out of the IWC and announces that the Norwegian whaling industry will resume whaling activities in 1993. In December, a Sea Shepherd ORCAforce team scuttles the Norwegian whaler, Nybroena, in the Lofoten Islands of northern Norway. 1993: In anticipation of Sea Shepherd interference, Norway spends US$28 million on security measures to protect whaling vessels, an amount that greatly exceeds illegal whaling profits. 1994: A Sea Shepherd ORCAforce team sinks the pirate whaler, Senet, in Gressvik, Norway. 1994: July 6th, the Sea Shepherd vessel, Whales Forever, in international waters, is fired upon, depth-charged and finally rammed by the Norwegian navy vessel, Andennes. The Whales Forever returns to the Shetland Islands under reduced power and taking on water.
447.22	Sad. Very sad.	SMURF::BINDER	Father, Son, and Holy Spigot	`Mon Jun 12 1995 18:59`	8
	.21 > I never heard of the shepard society... > > Sea Shepherd Conservation Society- One would think that with the correct spelling in front of you, in fact even included in your own reply, you could spell Shepherd correctly...
447.23		CONSLT::MCBRIDE	Reformatted to fit your screen	`Mon Jun 12 1995 19:19`	3
	Rainbow Warrior was bombed by the French after warning not to interfere with nuclear testing on the Pacific. I believe there was a death or two.
447.24		MIMS::WILBUR_D		`Mon Jun 12 1995 20:00`	5
	.22 spelling counts? So little else counts in this notes file.
447.25		TROOA::COLLINS	At the fingertips of gravity...	`Mon Jun 12 1995 20:04`	3
	A sensayuma helps...
447.26		TROOA::COLLINS	Talk the talk, walk the walk.	`Sat Jul 22 1995 15:11`	5
	SYDNEY (Reuter) - An extremely rare albino whale has been spotted off the Australian coast, prompting a call for whale watchers, seafarers and aircraft to look out for the real-life Moby Dick.