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| MNR and Haudenosaunee representatives at White Meadows |
So it appears we’re going to have another native deer hunt
in Short Hills. That will be the second one this year, only this time the park
will be closed for all four weekends in November, up from two weekends back in
January.
The announcement came from the Ministry of Natural
Resources on September 19 at White Meadows Farms in Pelham, where the MNR
staged an impromptu open house to answer the public’s questions.
A few representatives of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy also
attended, to clear up any misconceptions people might have about the “harvest”
and why we (anyone not native to Canada) need to respect the natives’ culture.
Nearly every viewpoint was heard that night. Farmers who
want the deer culled because they’re eating the crops, residents who want to
protect the deer, local hunters angry that only natives can hunt in the park, people against treaty rights, tree
huggers, animal rights activists, NIMBY’s and more.
Now I sympathize with the Haudenosaunee and what the “white
man” did to their ancestors, how they were driven off their lands and how
they’re struggling to keep their traditions alive today.
It was our culture of violence that was responsible for
almost wiping them off the map. Our progenitors saw themselves as “superior”
to the so-called savages and this arrogance justified the near-annihilation of
them. It was a terrible time in our history and I hope it is never
repeated.
But the natives also perpetuate this culture of violence.
They see the deer as resources, things to be "harvested", as if these animals
were fruits and vegetables. They see themselves as "superior" to other forms
of life, as if all the earth were here for them to do as they please.
Just as we do. We exterminate, slaughter, hunt and
“harvest” any and every species that gets in our way, has a pleasing taste or
gives a good chase. I can’t look at a native hunter as the “bad guy” while my
own people commit even worse atrocities to other sentient beings.
When asked why the natives have to kill deer that are so
habituated to human beings it’s like shooting fish in a barrel (according to
the MNR, Short Hills is the first provincial park to allow hunting since the
late 1970’s) the Haudenosaunee ambassador replied, “Don’t you eat
chickens?”
He makes a good point. With the exception of a few
vegetarians and vegans in the audience, everyone there that night eats animals
of one kind or another. Why are we so appalled at the killing of a few
doe-eyed ungulates but don’t think twice about the animals we eat three times
a day?
The cows, pigs, chickens and other animals we breed, raise
and butcher for food are just as vulnerable, just as cute and just as worthy
of our compassion as those whitetail deer. We chastise one culture of violence
but fail to acknowledge our own.
If you really care about animals and want to reduce the
amount of suffering and violence in the world, go vegan.
