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Weapon Found in Whale Dated From the 1800s
LABarr writes "AP and CNN are carrying a story that has forced scientists to re-evaluate the longevity of mammals. A bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt over a century ago. 'Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3½-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old. The bomb lance fragment, lodged in a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time. It was probably shot at the whale from a heavy shoulder gun around 1890.' "
This isn't the first time this has happened. I believe in one of Bill Bryson's books - probably 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' - he mentions a whale being found with a hand-thrown inuit spearhead embedded in its blubber. Or something along those lines... Anyway, it put the age of the animal well over 100 years.
A-Bomb
Why should they stop their whaling? It's not like the Asians are going to stop any century soon, so why not let them catch a couple percent of the global take each year to continue their heritage.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Whaling is supposed to permitted by the IWC for traditional hunts by certain indigenous peoples. Perhaps you'd like to tell us what part of using a sophisticated modern projectile weapon is traditional?
The tragedy and travesty is that most of these so-called "traditional" hunts are bogus. Rather than using traditional means and rituals these "natives" are using modern weapons, sonar and a variety of other means to find and kill whales. The catch being often turned over to the Japanese for profit.
There is as much "tradition" in this type of whaling as there is "science" in Japanese scientific whaling. It's all a smokescreen for profit.
So, I agree with the original poster, although "yayhoos" is a very generous word.
I should point out - their 'heritage' now apparently includes rocket-propelled harpoons and chainsaws.
If they want to preserve their ancient ways, fine. Hunt whales from small canoes with bone spears. But don't use a chainsaw and claim you're 'preserving your heritage'. Heritage is not a buffet. Either do it as your ancestors did to keep in touch with your past, or man up and move on.
-EvilMagnus
I live up around this area. There seems to be this romantic notion amongst those living in the lower 48 that these "Eskimos" still live in igloos, travel by dogsled and wear seal skin parkas. The truth is, the Inupiat are American citizens in spite of what they might like to think, they live in houses, they eat their KFC, drink their Budwieser, drive their pickup trucks and watch their satellite TV just like anybody else.
Their approach to preserving this whale hunting "tradition" has so diverged from its cultural roots that its become a fallacy.
To describe what really happens, they race out after this thing in their power boats and fire at it with a very modern, highly accurate harpoon with an explosive tip. Generally they try to blow a hole in the lungs so the whale starts drowning and then they dispatch it with high powered rifles when it surfaces. After it dies, they tow the carcass back to shore and then they tie a rope or chain around the tail and haul it up onto the beach with ATVs or a pickup truck. They then proceed to dismantle the body using their "traditional" chainsaws, as alluded to in TFA.
Now I'm no hippy or environmentalist, but the whole exercise seems to defeat the spirit of the "preserving the culture" concept. Is it really necessary? I think they do it simply because they're permitted to, I'm sure its a kick to hunt a whale, and they get a shitload of free meat and byproducts out of it.
The difference is that I am not trying to justify the killing of an endangered species for "cultural purposes". ...and I'm sorry, but exploding harpoons, sonar and chainsaws is not "slightly more modern technology" than bone spears, seal-skin kayaks, and hide&sinew rope.
It's resulted in overhunting because if you have to risk your damn life in some flimsy hand-made kayak, you quickly figure out just how important that dead whale is to your cultural heritage.
Yes, I read the article too. Which is why I also know that they are killing 255 whales a year when there are only about 8000 left alive at all. This species was not long ago on the very brink of extinction, and we just don't know enough about them to be sure how many is "safe" to take. Why risk it?
Every culture on the face of this earth has had to adapt to changing situations, why are they excluded?
M-
You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
Having grown up in Alaska, with native friends (whose family participated in the hunts) I've got maybe a different view on the whale hunt. This isn't about food, it's about identity. The Inuit who live in western housing, who have electricity and regular groceries, who attend schools (often taught by non-inuits), who get around on motorized vehicles (snowmobiles in the winter, 3-and-4-wheelers in the summer), who receive dividends from their native corporations (these native corporations receive oil royalties) have feet in two cultural epochs- the industrial world and essentially the stone age.
Bridging these worlds isn't easy- their once-rich culture is declining, as the need it fulfilled (sustaining true subsistence hunter-gatherers in an incredible environment) slowly becomes a thing of the past. The Inuit are awesome, beautiful people and I don't envy them their position, nor do I begruge them this tradition. (even though I would never harm a whale or seal or walrus myself). It's the centerpiece of a culture that equated survival with community and cooperation- and their challenge for now is how to translate these values into their modern lives. The hunt is really a big deal- part rite of passage into manhood, part party, it's the time where disparate families and communities would meet, trade, where young adults from separate communities would court each other- imagine your life if suddenly the place where you did all of these things were gone.
We could learn a thing or two from the Inuit, just like they've got some stuff to learn from the rest of the world. This will take time. Maybe they'll replace the hunt with something else to serve all those other purposes. Maybe not. That's their thing, and they'll do it on their terms.
If there's one thing I won't stand for, it's intolerance.
"Modern farming practices are potentially far more sustainable than the more traditional methods.
Sure we could use our very well developed understanding of ecosystem science to make farming sustainable, but what actually happens is that all our fancy science is used to make "food production" profitable. And not even profitable for the farmer necessarily, but profitable to the mass food distribution system conglomerates through high yield monocultures.
Buying local produce from "sustainable practice farms" (I just made that term up, i'm no expert... can't remember the technical term), usually called organic (but you'll want to verify this as the major food conglomerates have moved into "organic mass production") is not only a good way to get tasty food, it's an act of economic protest. Unfortunately, like most protest in the west, it's reserved for the relatively well off.