After reading the article, I firmly believe that indigenous cultures in general, should not be allowed to engage in traditional behaviors and practices even when these practices conflict with larger national and international policies and laws. Based on the article, it is true that cultures are diverse but not isolated. The Makah tribe was comprised of about 1500 and they entirely dependent on whales for survival and have continued to identify themselves spiritually with whales. It is true that the Makah community was comprised of fishers facing a severe poverty and higher levels of unemployment which forced them into whale hunting but their activities endangered Northern Pacific gray whales species (Culture Clash: Makah Seek Return to Whaling Past). It is clear that around the 20th century, the tribe stopped hunting whales when commercial harvesting had depleted the species. By allowing the community to continue hunting would destroy the whale community driving the species to extinction. There is no need of allowing them to exercise their culture and guarantee them the right to hunt whale at the expense of the survival of these species.
Rather than allowing the community to continue with their culture of hunting whales, Makah community should be introduced into other forms of livelihood such as farming, singing and dancing as part of income generating activities ( Dedina, 2000). The younger generation will be given the opportunity to actively participate in singing and dancing which will help keep their minds off whale hunting. Allowing the indigenous culture through preserving whale will inspire a cultural renaissance among the community and the nation at large. The community can further be trained on various artworks like painting and canoe building that would help keep them busy and offer a source of livelihood. Most of the community members will be able to learn artwork and become more active in the canoe building which will become a reliable source of income for them. Some of the Makah community members should further be involved in the whale protection and preservation activities since it will help them see the value of conservation ( Bulbeck & Bowdler, 2008).
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References
Bulbeck, C., & Bowdler, S. (2008). The Faroes Grindadráp or Pilot Whale Hunt: The Importance of Its' Traditional'Status in Debates with Conservationists. Australian Archaeology , 53-60.
(Culture Clash: Makah Seek Return to Whaling Past) (Appreciating Diversity) (Case)
Dedina, S. (2000). Saving the Gray Whale: people, politics, and conservation in Baja California . University of Arizona Press.
