Whale butchering horrifies onlookers

A story from NZ shows just how far people are from the reality of surviving in a collapsed system. A dead whale washed up on a beach, the local indigenous people (who had a right to it under Department of Conservation protocols) want the jaw bone from it for traditional crafts before burying it, and tree huggers trying to stop them from cutting the jaw bone out. The whale was burried in a peaceful location, they even gave it a funeral! But no, some people objected strenously. What are they going to do when the OWG demands thier allegiance or else they will not be allowed to receive thier food allowance?

News Article Link

I'm sure I am not the only one who will be surprised at the actual story. My blood was almost already boiling at the title.

However, this is just one of those unfortunate times where cultures clash. Sure it probably looked disgusting, and perhaps the parents of the upset children should have taken them away. But I see nothing wrong with this, and it's their belief the whale will live on.

I am glad however, that this was not a story about a 'live' whale being tormented and butchered.

From NZ I think this is understandable. They are a tiny country with no international clout but they have to protect half the worlds whale population from countries like Japan who are poaching them. The tree huger's have worked hard. More than that, average people are also involved.

Your OP suggests that NZ'ers have lost the ability to be grounded and rational, but it can't be that. Maori traditions are common to everyone. How can YOU ask for more than that.

Lol ...What do you know?

from my experience 'tree hugger' types are mostly deluded moron's.
they might mean well, but they can be idiot's.

reply to post by Rikku


I agree. They are single minded. I feel the same way about any extreme. Right now the most BS's pressure group is the gun lobby. They are obsessed.

I fully agree that they should have full access to the whale as it is already dead and we use animal parts for tons of stuff. But I do see some sense in perhaps moving the whale elsewhere before removing the jaw, it probably wouldnt have made news if the crew did so in a more private area.

reply to post by tehdouglas


Yes that is true, but then the onlookers could have made that comment instead of carrying on like they did. I can understand the guy who said that the whale should have been burried whole as he was talking from a cultural/spiritual perspective and that was his view. But the people who opposed the taking of the jaw bone simply on the grounds that there was blood everywhere....

reply to post by AdamOver


Sorr that did not even occurr to me, when I saw the article headline I assumed the whale had been hunted or was beached. I was even more surprised when I read that it had washed up already dead.

Didn't read the article, but I live 2km from where the whale washed ashore.
The spot on the beach is right beside the village and there were hundreds of people down there to have a look.
If they were weak stomached why did they go down there?
Anything dead is bound to be unpleasant.

From down here in New Zealand this seems perfectly fine. The Maori people where in this country before the Europeans and in 1846 (I think, really hoping the grey matter has kept school knowledge) a treaty was signed between the local Maori chiefs and the "crown". I'm the treaty were agreements on particular peices of land and tribes still today own the land not the crown. Sorry for ranting on but to the point this is a beach where the customs of the local tribes must be adhered to under the "treaty of waitangi" and it is completely fair that they get to handle the situation however they please.

P.S written on an iPhone so very sorry if this is difficult to read at all or hard to follow.
Peace to all

This isn't about a tree hugger group. Whales are possibly the most intelligent people on earth. And so this tradition of ancient indigenous cultures who didn't know that they were our equals, and need to be protected from murder and abuse of their remains, just like any human, need to be brought up to par.

Oh, and trees are wonderful too.

I think the crowd should visit a slaughter house, they should see how sausage is made and how most of their food arrives on their plates. The whole journey from baby to plate.

reply to post by Cinrad


That's funny because I read the article and saw the pictures when it beached and the article actually talked about how they would take it's jaw bone and give it a ceremonial burial. I almost thought someone might get whiney about it, but then I was like, "nah.. it was already dead." I guess that's what I get for thinking. People today are so goofy. Like there aren't enough things to get in an uproar about, they are mad because people are taking the jaw bone of a dead whale that is just going to rot and be spread out all over the place anyway!

I seriously want to hear some of their protest chants. What is their reasoning? What exactly are they mad about?

reply to post by Unity_99


"Murder?" It was already dead. It was an old whale that beached itself.
Also they are intelligent, but not that intelligent. I mean, they took it's jaw bone, but they also gave it a ceremonial and respectful burial! What more could you ask for?
Sometimes people are very weird to me.

reply to post by Unity_99

I honestly and truly believe that the whale could care less if his "equals?" took his jaw bone. He was done with that body before they ever got to him.

reply to post by Unity_99


Whales are possibly the most intelligent people on earth ? You either meant the welsh are possibly the most intelligent people on earth or you need to go back to 1st grade biology

Originally posted by Cinrad
A story from NZ shows just how far people are from the reality of surviving in a collapsed system. A dead whale washed up on a beach, the local indigenous people (who had a right to it under Department of Conservation protocols) want the jaw bone from it for traditional crafts before burying it, and tree huggers trying to stop them from cutting the jaw bone out. The whale was burried in a peaceful location, they even gave it a funeral! But no, some people objected strenously. What are they going to do when the OWG demands thier allegiance or else they will not be allowed to receive thier food allowance?

News Article Link

I am not sure why the onlookers were horrified (beyond the butchering of a dead whale)? The Maori have been doing this for a long time, and only to this to dead whales. They (the Iwi) are ususaly first there to help to re float stranded whales. Indeed look at Whale Rider (yes it is a fictional account in a Movie, however it also has been emulated (the refloating of marine mammals) time and time again.

I blame the media Mind you I blame them for everything

Originally posted by Unity_99
This isn't about a tree hugger group. Whales are possibly the most intelligent people on earth. And so this tradition of ancient indigenous cultures who didn't know that they were our equals, and need to be protected from murder and abuse of their remains, just like any human, need to be brought up to par.

Oh, and trees are wonderful too.

edit on 18-1-2013 by Unity_99 because: (no reason given)

As has been pointed out, New Zealand gets to patrol a huge chunk of the southern ocean and pacific (for our 4.5ish million Homo sapiens) to discourage the Japanese, and others from hunting whales. As a nation we are very pro Whale (and other Marine mammals) as a whole . The Local Iwi (Maori Tribes) support this, but also request the right to obtain whale bone from dead animals. We get a LOT washed up. As we don't know the customs of Whales wrt their dead, they get honored this way.

Yeah trees are nice (I'm a Neopagan Druid) but the hand wringing the news article implied, is very not typically New Zealand. Or perhaps my decade in the US, allowed me to miss a change in culture. *shrug*

I would request you learn a bit more about this before you open your gob (well actually use your toes to type) again.

"Eeewwwww, disgusting. I'm gonna be sick", says the onlookers
As they take a bite of their caged, hormone injected, genetically modified chicken
Sandwich and wash it down with gmo corn syrup filled sodas.

Originally posted by GogoVicMorrow
reply to post by Unity_99

 

"Murder?" It was already dead. It was an old whale that beached itself.
Also they are intelligent, but not that intelligent. I mean, they took it's jaw bone, but they also gave it a ceremonial and respectful burial! What more could you ask for?
Sometimes people are very weird to me.

You don't understand my point. My point is they are people, like us. There are at least 2 forms of highly intelligent life on earth (I would also add great apes and elephants, but there could be more), that are equally people.

Now, if you washed up on shore, would you like to have your jaw bone taken, or be cut up?

I am not saying it was criminal as such, and even if there were laws like that, would never charge indigineous people for making use of an entire body, of a whale or something. I question the rightfulness of many laws made, for most are intrinsically illegal implying ownership of people, and are not basic common law, thou shalt not kill, rape, murder, plunder.

This is a gray area at best, this isn't black and white, and wasn't trying to make it such.

But that, education needs to be done, with more respect for the different people inhabiting this world. They need some rights too.