Refs:“Animals May Take Pity on Us” - Using Traditional Tribal Beliefs to Address Animal Abuse and Family Violence Within Tribal Nations
“Animals May Take Pity on Us”: Using Traditional Tribal Beliefs to Address Animal Abuse and Family Violence Within Tribal Nations Sarah Deer, Liz Murphy
For example, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians believes respect for a deer must be at the core of hunting. This respect is found in various hunting moral codes, including, but not limited to: (1) only shoot to kill; (2) only take meat that is needed; (3) give thanks (known as miigwetchitaagoziwin) to the deer for its life, and place tobacco (known as semaa) near the deer before and after the hunt as semblance of that gratitude; (4) only hunt when sober; and (5) conduct efficient and careful butchering, so as not to disrespect or waste the life the deer gave.69
Another example of a tribe’s hunting laws is those related to the Makah Indians’ whaling traditions. Prior to the hunt, whalers will fast, ritually cleanse, pray, remain celibate, and abstain from drugs and alcohol.70 Additionally, when a whale is harpooned, it is sprinkled with eagle feathers to release its soul back to the sea.71 Again, the core of hunting for the Makah is respect for the whale and acknowledgement that the whale provides not only sustenance but also social identity.72
Even after an animal is killed and eaten, many Native people have traditionally continued to treat the carcass with a great deal of reverence and respect. In some traditional laws, for example, they will not mistreat game animal bones for fear that the spirit of the animal would bring bad luck to the hunter in the future.73 The EuroAmerican perspective on hunting has not typically been grounded in this type of respect or ceremonial protocol.74 While individual recreational hunters may describe their hunting experience as “spiritual,” killing an animal in the Euro-American culture is ultimately justified as an obvious outgrowth of human dominion over animals.75 Such a desire for dominion is found within “sport” hunting, where Euro-American hunters are encouraged to hunt and harvest the largest of a species, primarily to demonstrate “athleticism,” not to provide needed nourishment.76 Again, this is a stark contrast to Native hunting practices.77
However, physical cruelty and abusive treatment of animals are not considered acceptable within tribal belief systems, as animals are spiritually connected to humans and such maltreatment is spiritually damaging for the community.83
As noted earlier, most tribal belief systems centralize human-animal relations as having a spiritual, reciprocal connection, while most European belief systems are anthropocentric and claim dominion over animals as a right of human superiority.89
The authors of this article believe that the most common foundation for many tribal nations’ contemporary animal laws will be grounded in the concept of “respect” because of its central role in traditional belief systems. Anthropologist Dave Aftandilian explains, “The spiritual power of animals is another reason why people should treat animals with respect. If we do, animals may take pity on us, and share some of their power. If, on the other hand, we do not treat them with respect, they may take revenge against us.”175
