> this is in response to marc's comments...
> your dismissive attitude is pretty rude in my opinion as is the
> condecending tone you used in reference to john's spirituality. really
> you have no justification to make such grossly presumptuous statements
> about someone you know nothing of besides their email address.
> secondly i want to say that your statements regarding the impact of
> reintroducing predators into old habitat seem ridiculous to me. it sounds
> as though you think human management has done a better job of securing
> ecological balance than the previously-existing predator-prey
> relationships that developed over hundreds of thousands of years. yours
> was a very human-centric opinion,and your concern for the lives of the
> deer and elk and the detrimental impacts of predation, while touching is
> just plum silly, since the populations of elk and wolf coexisted before
> the indigenous or the colonists arrived on the scene. the
> o-so-disturbingly high %'s of elk murders by wolf are for crying out loud
> the fucking way ecosystems are supposed to work. and if there is some
> imbalance in the ecosystems of alaska or WA you can be sure that they're
> due to human interference in the ecological mechanisms. the only reason
> that there would be concern over the amount of elk or what have you that
> wolves eat in alaska would be because humans feel their sporting "rights"
> infringed on by those damn wild animals again.
>
> On Mon, 27 Oct 1997, John Ritchson wrote:
>
> > Mark Crispin wrote:
> > >
> > > On Sat, 25 Oct 1997, John Ritchson wrote:
> > > > I am of Chippawa and Cree decent and the Wolf is sacred to my people,
> > > > it is in fact my clans totem. I live in Montana and during the winter
> > > > of 1978,a lone pregnant wolf burrowed a den under my cabin and had
> > > > a litter of cubs,of which 4 survived.
> > > >[Anecdote of normal and common human/canine cohabitation deleted]
> > >
> > > > no one for any reason,has a right to kill them for
> > > > what they are.
> > >
> > > Do you extend this privilege to mice, rats, cockroaches, and slugs? If
> > > not, then justify why one wild animal deserves more consideration than
> > > other wild animals.
> > >
> > > The issue is not about killing wolves because they are wolves. The issue
> > > is about whether or not a large predator should be reintroduced into areas
> > > where it has not existed for many years.
> > >
> > > The only issue about killing wolves is the management of game species so
> > > that their population does not exceed what the local ecosystem can
> > > support. In the case of predators (such as wolves), not only does an
> > > excess population depress prey species, but it also ultimately leads to a
> > > crash in the predator population.
> > >
> > > This is happening in Alaska today; the Dall sheep, moose, and caribou
> > > population are in serious trouble because of outside interference with the
> > > management of predators. 35 times as many prey animal kills are by
> > > predators than by hunters:
> > > hunters 2.5%
> > > accident/disease 10%
> > > predators 87.5%
> > > Predators take the easiest kills: old, infirm, pregnant, and young. The
> > > latter two vastly outnumber the former. Ever since predator management
> > > started to be dictated by feel-good political correctness instead of sound
> > > wildlife management principles, 80% of all calves don't make it past their
> > > first year. Nearly 50% of pregnant cows don't make it.
> > >
> > > In any case, there is no issue of killing wolves in Washington State, and
> > > there will not be, at least not until some years after a reintroduction.
> > >
> > > Unlike Alaska, the Olympics contain populations of animals that have not
> > > been subject to wolf predation for many years. The Olympics and
> > > surrounding areas have a much more dense human and livestock population
> > > than Alaska, and less of a wildlife (both prey and predator) population.
> > >
> > > This doesn't necessary mean that wolves shouldn't be reintroduced.
> > > However, it should indicate, to rational people at least, that the
> > > question of wolf reintroduction is not the no-brainer that is protrayed by
> > > urban environmentalists. It *will* upset the balance. We have at best an
> > > imperfect understanding of what the new balance will look like.
> > >
> > > Wolves won't do anything about the mountain goats. They probably will
> > > have a substantial initial impact upon the deer and elk populations (no
> > > great loss, at least the deer), until the local cervidae wise up. Then
> > > it'll be the turn of livestock.
> > >
> > > > Is this how you would honor the sacred spirit of our earth-mother
> > > > by killing her children for no other reason then that they exist?
> > > > Or by denying them a home in the last wild places left?
> > > >
> > > > It is not the wolf that is dangerous.It is not the wolf that murders
> > > > by the millions.It is not wolves that abuse their children,or sow
> > > > corruption,fear,hate and madness.The wolf does not rape our earth-mother
> > > > or desecrate her sacred spirit.People do.We,who were granted dominion
> > > > by the great-spirit,and made to be care-takers, have committed these
> > > > crimes.It is we humans that have betrayed our sacred trust and duty,
> > > > and it is we humans that bear the responsibility for the fate of this
> > > > noble creature,nay,for the earth-mother herself and all that live upon
> > > > her.
> > >
> > > *Sigh*
> > >
> > > The only thing that ever makes me ashamed of my part-Indian ancestry is to
> > > see goofy New Age "earth-mother" babble such as the above presented as
> > > being the philosophy and/or "suppressed mystical secrets" of aboriginal
> > > peoples. I guess that it serves a purpose, e.g. extracting cash out of
> > > bleeding-heart white liberals. But it's still irritating.
> > >
> > > It reminds me of 19th century "noble savage" romanticism; a mix of bits
> > > and pieces of distorted aboriginal religion with European idealism. "We,
> > > who were granted dominion by the great-spirit" and "sacred trust and duty"
> > > are very much of European/xtian influence.
> > >
> > > -- Mark --
> > >
> > > Unsolicited commercial email is NOT welcome at this email address.
> >
> > I am saddened that you have chosen to set aside the rich spiritual
> > heritage of your Indian ancestors,and instead have elected to follow
> > the path of the Washita's,who view the world as a resource to be
> > exploited and who would bury her spirit in a mantle of greed,avarice,
> > and political expediency at the expense of other living things whether
> > wolf or slug or man.
> >
> > FYI,The spiritual world-view of my people has existed upon the land
> > since,in the words of my grandfather,"from before the time of the
> > buffalo with the long-noses." This would place it historicly at before
> > the end of the last ice-age.From that time on my people have held
> > the Earth-Mother and all that live upon her as sacred.We believe the
> > Great Spirit placed the people upon the land to protect and care for
> > the land and all that live upon it.But the Washita's have turned away
> > from these things and a darkness has decended upon their hearts and a
> > sickness has decended upon their souls and has made them all crazy.
> > That is why the Washita's have tried to rub us out for centuries,along
> > with the Cayote,the Wolf,the Bear,the Cougar and anything else that
> > got in their way.I believe they called it Manifest Destiny.But the
> > Washita's have failed.We still walk upon the land,and sing the old songs
> > wolf and man alike.We still dance with the sun and take our sacred
> > sweats,and practice our ancient ceremonies after the ways of our
> > grandfathers.Our minds are no longer numb from the whiskey of the
> > Washita's and we have learned their ways,and like the Wolf,we grow
> > ever stronger while the Washita's grow weaker.
> >
> > But yet it is not too late,to reject the gross materialism and rampant
> > consumerism of a society out of control,and embrace the simple spirit-
> > ual ideals of an ancient and noble people,called savages by some,but
> > who live at peace with the land.Then you will understand.
> >
> > Yut-Ta-Kawannee aka.John Ritchson
> > Wolf-Clan of the Little Shell Band of the Chippawa-Cree Nation
> >
>