07-24-2018, 04:31 AM
"This idea that primitive people were better at environmentalism is bogus.
Native people's material culture was far less than that of modern civilization, hence their environment impacts were much less.
Native peoples were almost universally hunters. They were mostly good at using resources sustainably. For Hawaiians, the Kapu. Sustainable use = conservation.
Today the field of conservation, an ethic with a deep history in hunting, is increasing being pushed towards preservationism, an ethic that seeks all sort of limits on the use of resources, including some for emotional reasons. That's why we don't hunt whales anymore, even if the populations of many species like the humpback are not endangered. This sensitive view increasing dominates environmentalism.
Native peoples had another thing going on: Reverence/veneration for animals, some of which they killed. Like bears.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=5241&context=etd
Whale burial might be a legitimate veneration practice.
Liberal environmentalists much like the idea of veneration for animals. They leave out the part about killing the animals. That's how we got the fairy tale that Native Hawaiians venerated green sea turtles and sharks and didn't kill either.
Native people's material culture was far less than that of modern civilization, hence their environment impacts were much less.
Native peoples were almost universally hunters. They were mostly good at using resources sustainably. For Hawaiians, the Kapu. Sustainable use = conservation.
Today the field of conservation, an ethic with a deep history in hunting, is increasing being pushed towards preservationism, an ethic that seeks all sort of limits on the use of resources, including some for emotional reasons. That's why we don't hunt whales anymore, even if the populations of many species like the humpback are not endangered. This sensitive view increasing dominates environmentalism.
Native peoples had another thing going on: Reverence/veneration for animals, some of which they killed. Like bears.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=5241&context=etd
Whale burial might be a legitimate veneration practice.
Liberal environmentalists much like the idea of veneration for animals. They leave out the part about killing the animals. That's how we got the fairy tale that Native Hawaiians venerated green sea turtles and sharks and didn't kill either.