The Makah and the Gray Whale
Something’s just about to hit the fan after the killing of a California Gray Whale off the coast of Neah Bay.
It’s one thing to allow tribes to occasionally re-enact their historic rituals by hunting a whale. But this harpooning and shooting of a Gray Whale was NOT sanctioned by the Makah tribal government.
This is being investigated by the Coast Guard and the National Marine Fisheries Service. One possibility is that the whale was killed for humane reasons after it was hopelessly entangled in a fishing net. Let’s hope that’s the case.
This story has made the national news on MSNBC as well as the local news.
It’s one thing to allow tribes to occasionally re-enact their historic rituals by hunting a whale. But this harpooning and shooting of a Gray Whale was NOT sanctioned by the Makah tribal government.
This is being investigated by the Coast Guard and the National Marine Fisheries Service. One possibility is that the whale was killed for humane reasons after it was hopelessly entangled in a fishing net. Let’s hope that’s the case.
This story has made the national news on MSNBC as well as the local news.
Labels: California Gray Whale, Makah, National Marine Fisheries Service, Neah Bay
posted by Tom Harper at 11:50 AM
12 Comments:
I am sure they will invent some reason that boils down to "we're special and the rules don't apply to us". If it was a sanctioned hunt AND if they did it they way they used to (I heard it was a very dangerous process) I wouldn't have so many issues with it. I also heard most of the previous one ended up as dog food, who these days wants a nice chunk of blubber for dinner anyway.
I agree with anonymous - somehow this will turn out to be not a crime. I think it's a crime - but who cares what I think?
Let me ask this one question: exactly how does shooting an innocent creature with a machine gun qualify as "getting in touch with our historic tribal culture"? Sounds pretty bogus to me.
...it is not only bogus, but its bull. The "hunt" should be using fully traditional means (meaning great danger for the hunters) and without guns. But, by allowing that tribe to HUNT ONCE, it has opened up an international debate. Japan and Korea both are seeking to hunt whale, as well. I think it was a bad move, initially.
Now, it's outrageous. Nothing like making a tribe (and all Native Peoples) the laughing-stock of the whole world! This illegal hunt has ended up in blogs and newspapers all over the world.
That's so much five morons and your tribal leaders, you have made all the tribes look bad, because you went 'out of control'. I hope your tribe punishes you, and your leaders punish you, and your families are ashamed of you.
I dont care if the tribal leaders punish them, its a bit out of their hands. This is a federal crime, lets hope they all do real time in a federal prison.
There is a poll in the PDN that most say move it to a federal level.
Tom,
What is the deal with the port granting a contract to cut down 350 trees now...(first 150, then 200) so the aiport can gain an additional runway.....for what? We hardly have any commercial flights, and the puddle jumpers that do fly in can use the ONE darn runway we have.
This is outrageous. We need to plant trees, beautify, not cut them. What part of "we need tourism" does this town not get?
I don't know why they need to cut down that many trees. If they need to cut some down for safety reasons, then they need to. But like you said, it was 150, then 200, now 350... Maybe they have a huge expansion plan for that airport, but I doubt it.
The trees around the rwy 26 (by the park) do poke up a bit and the threshold for 26 has already been displaced because of that. (Note the chevrons on the runway before the big numbers).
Trees grow and maybe the FAA feels that it is infringing on the glide slope (26 has a VASI or visual glide slope indicator). Rwy 8 (same runway, opposite direction) has a publish instrument approach (ILS) which is totally devoid of trees. It also could be the FAA is considering a backcourse ILS approach for 26 which would mean whacking down the trees.
Most traffic comes from the east and in good weather with calm winds, lands on 26. In bad weather, you have to manouver all the way out to stiped peak to get established on the ILS.
But I have done 100's on landings on 26 and never had a problem.
why is the tribe still trying to take on the punishment of these morons?
If they were **smart** they'd step away and let these men face federal music. They were NOT ON tribal lands, they were in water. They don't have any good excuses.....they brought shame to the tribe and the area. We do not want to see what kind of bad pr fury is created if they are not adequately punished.....remember this area IS dependent on tourism. Let's not get the bad press that 60 minutes, Dateline, and all that will cause IF the tribe is allowed to prosecute them, instead of the federal courts.
7 days now and no charges. Surely isn't causing much concern out there. They will have some forgiveness festival and men and whales will be in harmony again.
60 minutes or a similar show sure would put a pox on tourism out there in the land of the pariahs. It shouldnt matter since they dont care what people think.
It's certainly true what you said, the public sentiment is totally against hunting whales, and particularly in the way this was done, where the poor whale suffered for hours before dying. Not the way anyone would want this done. Those five men should be mortally ashamed, and it totally sickens me that they're not.
They need to be prosecuted by the Federal government, not just whitewashed by the tribal "justice" system. If there's a treaty that says the Makah can hunt, let them do so according to the rules. I'm personally totally against letting them do that -- it's no longer anything like a subsistence issue for them. I think killing animals is OK for food, NOT for sport or "because we can."
Excellent news
"A federal grand jury in Seattle has returned an indictment in the killing of a gray whale by tribal members off the Washington state coast"
You guys rely a lot on seashepherd lies. The whale was eaten at the feast. It wasn't fed to the dogs. We have a right to be the people that God created us to be. We have a right to be Indian. Don't be so threatened that we don't want to be red white men.
Post a Comment
<< Home