Makah Tribe Case Study
In the case of the Makah Tribe, I do not think it is appropriate for nonmembers of the tribe to evaluate the morality of the whale hunt. Many indigenous people from around the world hold true to the old ways in an attempt to keep their history alive. This is but one of those traditions.
When searching for information about the Makah, I found that they do have a long tradition of whale hunting. Realizing that it was up to them to protect their people, land, and fishing tradition, the Makah forefathers signed a treaty with the United States on January 31, 1855 “insuring that the importance of continuing these traditional practices were clearly understood by both the United States government and future generations of Makah.” (Peterson-Renault, n.d.) …show more content…
In our textbook, it states that a right “confers upon its holder a kind of moral privilege to protect, utilize, or exercise control over something.” (Burnor, p.
192) The Makah tribe has the legal right to reestablish its tradition of whale hunting based on the status of the treaty. In addition, it also holds certain natural rights. As related by Locke, each person is free to act without threat or hindrance to our lives, health, liberty, and property. (Burnor, p. 193) As a society, the Makah have an obligation to ensure the safety and welfare of their people. They are using the hunt not as a sport, but as a means to feed the people within their tribe. This falls in line with the right to life and health, for without food, there can be no life or
health.
The environmental community argues that the whale hunt is immoral because it violates the whales’ right to exist on the planet, however, the Makah people are not slaughtering the whales in mass. They have always prided themselves in using every part of the whale they captured; rendering oil from the blubber, eating all of the meat, and using the bones to create tools and other items needed in everyday life. (Peterson-Renault, n.d.) They are not taking more than the five permitted by law, nor are they hunting pregnant or nursing females. By adhering to these principles, they are following the theory of act utilitarianism, which states that any act that produces the greatest amount of overall utility is what makes a particular act morally right. (Burnor, p. 112) No one can fault a sovereign people for holding on to the traditions they have been doing for generations upon generations. The Makah tribe has been holding on to their traditions in the most virtuous of manners. They do so because they know what the right thing is, they intend to do the right thing solely because it is the right thing, and it is a product of their own firm and unchangeable character. (Burnor, p. 222) Doing so will ensure the continued survival of the tribe for many more generations to come.
Works Cited
Burnor, R. a. (2011). Ethical Choices; An introduction to moral philosophy with cases. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Peterson-Renault, M. (n.d.). Makah Tribe (Neah Bay, Washington): Tribal Info, History and More. (Inside Out Solutions) Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/
When searching for information about the Makah, I found that they do have a long tradition of whale hunting. Realizing that it was up to them to protect their people, land, and fishing tradition, the Makah forefathers signed a treaty with the United States on January 31, 1855 “insuring that the importance of continuing these traditional practices were clearly understood by both the United States government and future generations of Makah.” (Peterson-Renault, n.d.) …show more content…
In our textbook, it states that a right “confers upon its holder a kind of moral privilege to protect, utilize, or exercise control over something.” (Burnor, p.
192) The Makah tribe has the legal right to reestablish its tradition of whale hunting based on the status of the treaty. In addition, it also holds certain natural rights. As related by Locke, each person is free to act without threat or hindrance to our lives, health, liberty, and property. (Burnor, p. 193) As a society, the Makah have an obligation to ensure the safety and welfare of their people. They are using the hunt not as a sport, but as a means to feed the people within their tribe. This falls in line with the right to life and health, for without food, there can be no life or
health.
The environmental community argues that the whale hunt is immoral because it violates the whales’ right to exist on the planet, however, the Makah people are not slaughtering the whales in mass. They have always prided themselves in using every part of the whale they captured; rendering oil from the blubber, eating all of the meat, and using the bones to create tools and other items needed in everyday life. (Peterson-Renault, n.d.) They are not taking more than the five permitted by law, nor are they hunting pregnant or nursing females. By adhering to these principles, they are following the theory of act utilitarianism, which states that any act that produces the greatest amount of overall utility is what makes a particular act morally right. (Burnor, p. 112) No one can fault a sovereign people for holding on to the traditions they have been doing for generations upon generations. The Makah tribe has been holding on to their traditions in the most virtuous of manners. They do so because they know what the right thing is, they intend to do the right thing solely because it is the right thing, and it is a product of their own firm and unchangeable character. (Burnor, p. 222) Doing so will ensure the continued survival of the tribe for many more generations to come.
Works Cited
Burnor, R. a. (2011). Ethical Choices; An introduction to moral philosophy with cases. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Peterson-Renault, M. (n.d.). Makah Tribe (Neah Bay, Washington): Tribal Info, History and More. (Inside Out Solutions) Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/