Blogging time has been limited-- illness in the family-- but I'll try to get some stuff up, with a little commentary at least-- my "hold" box is full of material.
Reid Farmer, who I hope will be doing some guest blogging on pre- Columbian archaeology, sent this LA Times story on eagles. Now NON- Indians want rights to feathers, and are suing to have them. Actually, they may even have a point, though as things stand they are simply putting more pressure on a bird already threatened by Indian poachers. One non- Indian defendant, Raymond Hardman, actually tried to get a legal permit, and was refused because of his origins.
"Hardman is angry at being prosecuted because, he said, some Native Americans trap, trade and sell eagle feathers. They don't get caught, he said, because police never check permits".
And why is this? "Hardman said police should check Native Americans' permits, but Native American practitioners consider that idea offensive.
"It's the same as having to have a permit to carry a cross," said Ron Rader, a powwow dancer in Sacramento whose regalia includes the wings and wing feathers of several golden eagles."
(Actually, it's not. Hell, I'm of Catholic backgound, but I don't have a legal right to have a cross made of, say, ivory billed woodpecker bones...)
But that is a side issue-- everyone should be treated the same. And maybe if they gave out more falconry permits, subject of course to careful observation of populations, you would have a renewable source of feathers lasting over the eagles' thirty- year- plus lifespan (eagles molt their feathers every year) for both Indian and "Neo- Indian" practicioners alike.
No comments:
Post a Comment