Since nobody is reading this thread anymore anyway I thought I would throw in my two cents. 1)its a sad state that our largely urban "environmentalists" are so far removed from reality that they find any killing abnormal, despite the fact that all their killing (and there is quite a lot of it) is done for them behind the scenes, by people they will never meet. I guess if they dont have to see it or hear about it, its OK. Thats what this is about, its not about a whale being killed, its about ANYTHING being killed. After all the mountains, oceans, and wilds of the world should never be used for killing-they are yuppie playgrounds, for god's sake. 2) people who object to the Makah using modern technology should be sending their hand written, quill and inkwell complaints by horseback to the editor of the Washington Post. Of course you will also need to go back to the country of your ancestors to send it, so your horse should be a real strong swimmer. 3)as a biologist AND A NON-HUNTER I am not in favor of whales being killed. But to tell a people what is or isnt necessary to preserve their cultural identity seems to me the ultimate in ethnocentricity, especially when the majority of objectors live in a society where other people kill for them and can not possibly have any concept of what it means. Only the Makah can make that decision. Our history is filled with people (some well-meaning, some not) telling native people what aspects of their culture they should and shouldnt do, and how and where they should or shouldnt do it. The irony here is that the very people who are supposedly most educated and supposedly aware of these things are the ones continuing to try to force their cultural beliefs on others. I apologize that this has absolutely nothing to do with kayaks, but it never did. Wayne *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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