Makah Indian Tribe
An Interpretation of Disagreement Between Johnson and Watson Whaling is an issue that has been attracted with numerous debates and arguments. For the Makah Indian Tribe, whaling is an act of culture need and has been practiced for more than two thousand years. In the article, The Makah Manifesto, Keith A. Johnson, president of the Makah Whaling Commission, express the facts and cultural values why his people should be allow to whale freely. In opposition, The Sea Shehpards, a conservation group, is doing everything they can to stop humans from whaling in effort to save the gray whales from potential extinction. In response to Johnson's article, founder and president of the Sea Shephard Conservation Society, Paul Watson wrote: Where is the Whales' Manifesto? In which Watson states his values and facts why the Makah Tribe should not be allow to whale for any reason. The differences in their values and facts have stirred up a disagreement between the two groups. A difference of the interpretations of facts that both authors present in their articles has to do with the population of the gray whales, and whether or not this should still be consider a conservation issue. Scarcity had prevented the Makah tribe from whaling
However, the Sea Shepards believes that whaling may still cause a threat to the environment. The necessity of the gray whales has reflected both sides disagreement of facts and values. since the 1920's, but now that the gray whales have been taken off the endangered species list, their abundance makes it possible to resume the tribe's ancient practice. For Watson it is a fight of environmentalism; however, for Johnson it is a fight for culturalism. Watson argues that the Makah's ancestors hunted for survival not for the sake of culture. In contrast, Johnson claims that their taking of five whales a year will not present any conservation threat to the livestock of the gray whales. Johnson reasons that whaling is there method of salvation and that it will eliminate health problems caused from the loss of their traditional seafood and sea-mammal diet. While Watson claims "there is no such thing as just four whales" ( ). " Johnson believes that his people, the Makahs, should be able to hunt the whales due to the fact that it has been a cultural practice for more than two thousand years. Johnson claims that the number of gray whales "may be nearing the carrying capacity of their range" ( ) and may be a reason why they were taken off the endangered species list. Due to the result, Watson stated, "The Sierra Club has opted to take a position on the hunt. Therefore, it will lead to a conservation issue. Johnson's article states that "the gray-whale population is currently at an all-time high of around 22,000," and "the population continues to increase at a rate of 2. In response to Johnson's claim, Watson states that whaling has cost the government an estimated $150,000 to provide policing cost of the hunt and that Makah lobbying efforts has made tax payers pick up the tab for cost of food and travel for whale hunting.
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