The Similar Histories of the North American Buffalo and the Whale
The human race has been hunting other creatures in order to sustain itself for millennia. Over the years, some people have also acquired a knack for hunting animals for sport and/or monetary profit. As a result of man’s overhunting and search for efficient natural fuel, many species of organisms are currently on the brink of extinction or have already been totally obliterated, never to return.
Today the list of threatened creatures has come to include the snow leopard, polar bear, panda bear, red tuna, North Atlantic cod, Vaquita porpoise, tufted puffin, Adelie penguin, and reindeer. A few of the mammal species which have gone extinct over the past two centuries include the Falklands wolf, Tasmanian tiger, Schomburgk’s deer, West Indian monk seal, Yemen gazelle, and tarpan.
One of the most well-known incidents in which a whole mammalian group was nearly wiped out took place in North America in the late 1800’s. The endangered group in question was the buffalo. These hairy beasts were big game to Midwestern Native American tribesmen for hundreds of years. The American bison was a major part of the natives’ lifestyle, and the people did not waste any part of the animal. It was their main food source. Dried bison flesh was kept and set aside, supplying them with food throughout the winter, and the blood was used in soup.
But the Native American Indians also used its other parts. The bones were fashioned into knives and paintbrushes, or they were sometimes melted down for glue. The rough tongue was used as a hairbrush. The horns and hooves were carved into drinking cups. Sinews were used for thread and bowstrings. Skins were a good material for clothing, blankets, and tipis. The animal’s tail functioned well as a fly swatter for any person just as it had for the buffalo, and the fat was used as soap.
The Native Americans never seemed to have a lack of healthy buffalo to choose from until settlers entered the scene and brought the American bison population to its knees by extensive hunting. By 1890, the wild buffalo had almost vanished. Thus, an entire species had been brought dangerously close to total annihilation, and the American Indians of the plains and woods lost their rich traditions, and some of them their lives which were lost through starvation. The American bison had been vital to many tribes.
Believe it or not, the buffalo was not the only mammal that was hunted by a Native American tribe which would later also be hunted by other people on a massive scale. Whales, the largest living mammals on the planet, were also victims of this practice. Men have been whaling since thousands of years before Christ. American Indians dwelling in the region of the Pacific Coast depended heavily upon the bountiful sea for much of their provisions. Grey whales and humpback whales were hunted for their meat, gut, sinew, bone, and baleen (a hairlike filter for catching tiny organisms as food found in the mouths of certain types of whales).
One whale-hunting tribe, the Makah, required a party of just eight men in a canoe to effectively take out a whale. The harpoon used, to which a line was connected, was typically between 16 and 18 feet in length and was plunged into the large creature’s body when it was about three feet below the water’s surface. After the initial puncturing, several more spears were then thrust into the whale. For hours and sometimes days, the eight labored in the attempt to kill a single whale from exhaustion and loss of blood.
Whales were likewise hunted eventually by Europeans as well as inhabitants of countries from other continents. An entire industry was built around whaling in the 1600’s. From that point on, the hunters of these great beasts tracked them in large whaling vessels. By the 18th and 19th century, whaling was a rather large and competitive industry. One of the main purposes for the killings was to attain whale oil by extracting it from the blubber. The oil was used for lubricants, food, and fuel for lamps.
By the time of the Great Depression, approximately 50,000 whales were being hunted and killed each year. Despite the initial outlawing of commercial whaling enacted by the International Whaling Commission back in 1986, a number of nations have not abided by that law and continue to hunt down whales. Currently, there are several whale species classified as either “endangered” or “vulnerable” such as the blue whale.
A good rule of thumb with history is simply this: “History often repeats itself.” Did we learn nothing from the tragic tale of the buffalo? Humanity has a chance to assist species that it has injured both intentionally and non-intentionally, and we ought to work toward protecting the natural world which has been placed in our care.
Note: This article was originally featured here on the blog Of Intellect and Interest.
