[Jeni B.]

On the surface it would seem that the Makah did have the right to hunt the whales. After all, it was tradition. The problem lies in the fact that they voluntarily stopped the tradition 70 years ago, before there were any "Save the Whale"-type movements. I am a firm believer in tradition, but since the Makah stopped it themselves, I do not think they should have been allowed to hunt the whales. The fact that they are endangered is another reason they should not have. The whale is no longer necessary for their survival.

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Name : Jeni B., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 33, City : Boston, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : Computer Technician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[John K.]

Earlier this month, the Makah Indians participated in a traditional hunt of the gray whale. There was a great deal of protest during the hunt, and also a great deal of criticism after the fact. Do you think the Makah had the right to hunt the whale? Or do you think the criticism was valid?

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Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 26, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[ACC25091]

As John knows from our continuing dialogue first begun on this site many months ago, I have the traditional Indian view of hunting as a noble tradition that should continue for the sake of the symbiotic relationship between Indians and nature and a badly needed source of food for desperately poor people.

Animal rights people have seen too many Disney movies. Animals are a highly valued resource to be managed with care, not cutesy cartoons. It was whites who hunted whales to near extinction, not Indians. It's sickening to see how many of the supposedly liberal white protesters used racially loaded terms like "savage."

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Name : ACC25091, Gender : M, Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : San Antonio, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Andrew]

Ritual killing is a pretty shallow expression of culture, as are most barbaric acts. Human sacrifice was once part of the Judaic tradition. Female genital mutilation is looked upon as a horror by most people of the world. Christians once burned heretics alive. There's a reason modern cultures have moved away from atrocities like these - it's demeaning, senseless and just not civilized. So is killing an animal for no reason other than "tradition." Some traditions deserve to die.

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Name : Andrew, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 35, City : Huntington, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Reporter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[A.C.C.]

Andrew, calling this "ritual killing" is sensationalist and shows a complete ignorance of the spiritual belief of Indians. This was not killing an animal for the sake of a ceremony and certainly not for cheap thrills, as you imply. The hunting was solely for food. Unlike what the majority of whites do, for native peoples, hunting is a livelihood, a means of support as essential as farming. The ceremony happens afterword. The spirit of the animal is asked to forgive the hunters. This is a ceremony to restore harmony, not celebrate bloodlust. To call this cruel or needless is also hypocritical of you and others, unless you are vegetarians, when it is less cruel than how hamburger is made. For a good guide to understanding the native point of view on spirituality, read God Is Red by Vine Deloria. For anyone interested in learning about how the protests have caused an outpouring of the most vicious racism against the Makah people, go to http://archives.seattletimes.com/cgi-bin/texis.mummy/web/vortex/display?storyID=3747cd0728&query=Makah+Whale+Hunt

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Name : A.C.C., Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : W Lafayette, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[A.C.C.]

Andrew, the difference between the sensational horrors you list and the Makah Bay tradition is that the Indians are not harming any people. The ritual is also largely practical as well. The single whale they killed supplied food for the entire tribal nation for 3-4 months. It should also be obvious that if you're not a vegetarian, you're a hypocrite for this criticism. One last point: Tribes are sovereign nations. If you are not a citizen, you have no say in what they do. This is a tradition that will be up to the Makah Bay people to decide whether to continue.

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Name : A.C.C., Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : W Lafayette, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Jaimie-W21060]

Though I understand the Makahs stopped hunting whales years ago, I still support their action. Like most Native Americans, their culture is endangered. Because of a myriad of factors, sustaining traditional culture in modern times is a difficult thing to do. Getting funding to renew cultural interests is difficult, and young tribal members are often not inclined to learn a language and system of beliefs that isn't widely admired by the United States. Symbolic acts can often regenerate interest in preserving culture and can unite many people. I believe the whale hunting is a symbolic act for the Makah and not just a result of their "rights."

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Name : Jaimie-W21060, Gender : F, Race : Multiethnic, City : Wenatchee, State : WA Country : United States, 

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