The first Makah whale hunt had speed boats, helicopter spotters, machine guns, high power rifles, cell phones, and apparently the kill was wasted for the most part. How is that traditional, and how is that right?
This cite has some information, but the petition is no longer open.
I’ve heard, but never confirmed, that even possessing eagle feathers is a crime, because the government doesn’t know if you killed the bird yourself or not, so nobody but Indians are allowed to have them. I wonder if that’s true. If so, that’s pretty fucked up
I’m not sure I see the difference between religion and the zealous patriotism of worshipping a bird.
From your link for those who want their head to spin:
The Tlinget and Haida tribes of Southeast Alaska also had a tradition of owning slaves, who were freed after the civil war. Their history is rich with “high caste” clanswomen- running off to marry their slaves, who had been taken in battle and also in trade.
(google: Chief Shakes and the Frog Clan Totem.)
I bet if you traveled back in time to 1440 and gave the Makah speedboats, helicopters and high powered rifles, they would have been all over that shit. The “rowboat & harpoon” thing was based on the best available technology at the time.
They’re not “allowed” to go whaling. The right of the Makah to whale is preserved by the Treaty of Neah Bay which the U.S. signed back in 1855.
Australians have no such hesitation about national symbols. We eat both of the animals on our coat of arms. In fact today I bought Kangaroo steaks at the supermarket and have just finished eating one of them for dinner. Delicious. 
I’m not that big a fan of emu though. Tastes like chicken.
I wasn’t commenting about the tribe owning slaves, I’m sure they did as many societies did, but the irrelevance of bringing that up at all. Also from their own line of reasoning this tribe agreed to give up slaves before the US did, which would mean that they are the ones to claim the rest of the US still owned slaves after we agreed to give up slavery. This tribe certainly has the higher ground on the issue of slavery then the US.
I was also commenting about how they stated that the treaty is now irrelevant because it was signed before the civil war.
Also I’m not sure of their claim about these natives using modern technology for the actual hunt, but only as support after the initial strike was made by native weapons and boats and the whale was considered captured, and for medical or other emergency situations. Once the whale is considered captured modern methods are used to dispatch it quicker.
That’s the thing, there’s the belief they are quite rare and that is no longer true. It is no longer facing extinction (not even considered threatened anymore.) I am a pretty citified person and I have seem them several times around my area. Hell, the last time I saw a bald eagle, it was on a telephone wire two blocks from my house. I live smack in the middle of suburbs (closer to downtown Des Moines than I am to real wilderness let alone the edge of town). They are not rare.
If one tribe of native Americans want to kill two bald eagles for religious purposes, is it honestly that big of a deal? Read the article, it is literally about dos bald eagles here. Is it worth losing cultural traditions over two non-rare birds?
Thanks in advance for avoiding me. I appreciate that. Also, Einstein smoked. Just saying.
My only concern is: Now that they’ve done this, they’ve set a precedent. Now every Tom, Dick and Harry can get a permit if they say it’s for religious reasons.
I have a conservative relative who has been railing on Facebook for weeks now about how Obama is at war with the Catholic Church for not allowing a religious exemption for employer-provided healthcare regulations. Of course, he is also now enraged that Obama is allowing a religious exemption for bald eagle killing. He appears to see no logical disconnect here.
Did anyone force their belief system and rules on others? If they did I must have missed it. They asked for permission and it was granted. I think you are just looking for another reason to “despise” religion.
Do you “despise” religion because they occasionally kill animals? If so, you must really “despise” all those meat eaters…many who probably live in your neighborhood. Or are you just opposed to killing animals for religious ceremonies?
Seconded. I don’t much grok the purpose of this OP. Did ducati just wake up and decided that he needed to be an enormous asshole today? What gives?
The “logic” is: Obama’s doing it, so it must be wrong! No irregularities there! 
What if the eagle is pregnant?
Bald eagles are no longer an endagered or even threatened species. They were de-listed by the federal government five years ago. My own state kept the threatened status longer but just removed their threatened status.
Private citizens still cannot mess around with eagles or any other raptor without serious consequences. But letting Native Americans have 2 seems like a very little thing.
- I don’t care for religion and I hate hypocrisy. The two often go hand in hand.
- I’m not a hunter and I despise those who would hunt an endangered creature.
However, I agree that this is much ado about nothing. It’s only 2 birds and they aren’t rare. A small concession to some people who’ve had everything else taken from them (at least until very recently).
The argument could be made that they were never “their” eagles to begin with. They were the eagles’ eagles.
Jeffrey Lurie owns them?