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Re: Eaglets
- To: Judy Murray <jmurray@email.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: Eaglets
- From: Alex Netherton <danetherton@earthlink.net>
- Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 10:03:40 -0500
- CC: carolinabirds <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
- Organization: Appalachian Naturalist
- References: <003101bf4574$8de6cfa0$7f950298@jmurray.nursing.unc.edu>
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
> Did anyone (in the Chapel Hill, Durham or Raleigh [NC] area) read the
> editorial in the 12/9/99 Durham Herald-Sun newspaper concerning the Hopi
> Indians and the
> sacrifice of baby eagles in their religious ceremonies? Apparently this is
> something that current administration ("in the name of political
> correctness") recently approved and has the backing of Interior Secretary
> Bruce Babbitt.
(Quoted from previous message.)
Hi folks;
If this is indeed going on, the Hopi are rather a special circumstance. The
Native Americans (or American Indians) are considered Nations within the United
States, and many US laws do not apply. The Natives are able to collect and even
kill protected species for ceremonial purposes. That is, religious purposes.
They are able to do this, and only they are able to do this, and most tribes
(nations) have a quota to which they are bound, due to treaty or agreement with
the US government.
Many tribes are able to get feathers and body parts from recovery centers, but
in many cases, tradition requires that the feathers be taken from a wild bird,
and the bird be taken and killed in a special way, or the feathers and body
parts are not holy. This sort of thing has been going on for about 10,000 years.
The Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the ESA are only a few decades old.
I don't know about other traditions, but in the Cherokee, in order to get
feathers for the Eagle Dance, a very powerful teacher would go and catch a
pigeon (probably a Passenger Pigeon) and take to the highest point around where
a Golden Eagle had been seen. Here he would hide himself, using the pigeon for
bait. When the Eagle came down to eat, he would catch the Eagle, and kill it
with his bare hands. (!) (Not easy.) He would then go back to town, and announce
to the first person he saw "a sparrow has died", in order not to anger the Eagle
People by bragging. The town people would then go and with great ceremony, as
for a fallen warrior, and bring the Eagle back, taking the feathers and bones
and other body parts in a very prescribed manner.
As we can see, feathers from a recovery center, at least in this case, would
just not do.
I hope this helps. I personally do not like to see any bird of prey killed, but
I think this might be a little different than some ignoramus with a shotgun
bopping an eagle for the "fun" of it.
--
Alex Netherton
The Appalachian Naturalist
Asheville, NC
http://www.appalachian-naturalist.com
mailto:alex@appalachian-naturalist.com
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