Whaling and Native American Rights

A lot of time individuals chose to blog about how Native Americans are being marginalized because they're not being given equal rights that non-Native Americans enjoy. For this blog post, I would like to take a different approach and blog about rights that are solely reserved for Native Americans. It's not something we often think about, but as a sovereign people, there are some rights that exclusively Native Americans are entitled to. They are entitled to these rights that others are not given because these rights are long-established and fundamental to their way of life, many of which are tied to Native American spiritual customs.

The right at the center of this blog post is the fundamental spiritual Native American practice of whaling. This practice has recently garnered media attention across the nation because of efforts by a group called Sea Shepherds. Sea Shepherds is animal conservation group focused on protecting marine animal rights. The purpose of this blog post will be to offer insight into the Native American side of this issue, a side that you might not have considered or heard before. My hope is that it enlightens you to critically think about this issue with the knowledge of the other, and lesser known, side of the debate.

Whales are of course a beloved species to many people, moreover, some whales species are designated as endangered species. Organizations like the Sea Shepherds are celebrated because they give a voice to creatures that cannot defend themselves. At the same time, while respecting the rights of marine animals, which is certainly a worthy cause, we must also look to the rights of Native Americans. To some Native Americans, the whale is sacred; they use parts of whales for clothing, rituals, gifts, customs, money, food, etc. It is an extensive list. They pay tribute to and respect the beauty and strength of whales. Yes, they hunt whales, but they respect and honor the whales as an integral part of their cultural foundation.

There is a clear conflict here. Protecting marine life versus protecting long-standing customs. I'm not going to tell you what to value, that is for you to decide. Many people approach this issue and automatically want to side with the preservers against the killers. But there is so much more to the issue then that. That is what I'm trying to get at.

This opens up to a broader theme about civil liberties and rights for Native Americans. Oftentimes, with the cultural differences that many of us find ourselves in compared to Native Americans, it is hard for us to see this other side. It is hard sometimes to see things from the perspective of a group of people that we do not know as much about. The issue of whaling is a complicated issue to discuss, but we must keep in mind the factors driving different people's stances. The point of this post isn't just to talk about whaling rights though. It's to discuss how when reading about issues facing Native Americans, you need to keep in mind what important cultural influences might factor into the debate. Keeping an open mind to the cultural practices of Native Americans is important to ensuring their fair right to civil liberties and what citizenship means to them.

So next time you come across an issue involving Native Americans, be sure to do your research and keep in mind any complicated cultural factors that might be at play.