Whale Hunting & Cultures

A Scientific Solution to the Whaling Problem

Science faces a dilemma when it comes to consider the breakdown of society in the face of technological advance . The situation is even more difficult when science takes the environmentalist stance and then finds itself in opposition to native culture , which it also wants to preserve Anthropological studies have shown that many cultures around the world are integrally linked to whaling , both economically and culturally . But now that whales are facing extinction , the scientific community must make a decision as to which is more worth

preservation , native human cultures , or the population of whales . In my opinion , science should support the latter cause

It is an accepted tenet of modern life that technological advance breaks down old modes of social solidarity , and introduces new forms of connectedness . These new spheres of connection bypass locality and ethnicity , so that the tendency is towards a global culture and economy What seems to be initially a cultural loss is not so , for culture is evolving in step with technology . However , the extinction of whales is a true and final loss . In 1999 the international whaling commission lifted its moratorium and allowed the Makah Indians of Washington State to hunt whales for the first time in 70 years . Charlotte Cote , a descendant of whaling Indians , enthuses over the decision , and describes how whaling has reaffirmed their identity as a whaling people and providing a symbol for tribal resiliency , adaptability , and cultural survival (2006 ,

. 177 . However , Richard Caulfield , who has carried out extensive research into the whaling tribes of Greenland , opines that we cannot view these cultures in isolation , and these people have always retained links to mainland Europe . The recent speed of technological advance has only intensified these links . It is obligatory , therefore that the remote whaling communities collaborate with the international community (Nuttall 1998 ,

. 831 . The best role for the scientific community would , thus , be to effect a dialogue between the natives and the international body politic , while carrying out research from both points of view

References

Cote , C (2006 . The Whaling Indians : Legendary Hunters . American Review of Canadian Studies , Vol . 36 , pp . 177-181

Nuttall , M (1998 . Greenlanders , Whales and Whaling : Sustainability and Self-Determination in the Arctic . Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute , Vol . 4 ,

. 831

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