The ethics of whaling are determined by whether one understands whales as a resource or as endangered species.
Marine hunters in Indonesia have to reflect on what the appropriate relationship between humans and whales look like.
Photo: Kemal Jufri/NYT/Scanpix.
"Whales have held a strong place in western imaginations of nature and the environment for a long time," says Florence Durney.
Durney is a social anthropologist and examines how these notions affect marine hunters in Indonesia.
"Whales have been seen as mysterious, sometimes dangerous, but definitely attractive, monsters of the deep which we in the West have exploited to great effects. They were hugely important for developing Western capitalist economies."
Changes in how the whale was viewed put whaling to a halt. In the 1980s a moratorium was enforced for commercial whaling, with exceptions made for groups that fit the label "indigenous" and "subsistence hunting".
Florence Durney is researching the people of Lamalera, marine hunters in Indonesia. The Lamalerans have to deal with two questions: Who are they, and what do they perceive as the appropriate relationship between humans and whales?
From industry boom to environmentalism
Humans have hunted whales since prehistoric times. Industrial whaling gained momentum in the West in the early 18th century, when whale oil was used for soap, lamps and the lubrication of machines. In the 20th century, the demand for fat grew and the invention of fat hardening made it possible to make margarine from whale oil.
"The meat had least economic impact. In the US, it was used for dog food, among other things. Eventually, markets emerged for different parts of whale bodies beyond oil. For example, whale bones were used in corsets," says Durney.
In the course of the 20th century, good alternatives to whale oil appeared. In the oceans, the whale was about to disappear. Then the history of the sea animal took a turn.
"In the 1970s, the whale became the mascot for an emerging environmental movement. In a short time, the whale became a symbol of what humans can do to non-human species."
The whale was central, not a particular whale species. In the same period, scientific data clearly showed that industrial capture had led to the near extinction of entire whale populations.
"Whales now become a very interesting case of human excess. They reveal the sins of humanity and the dark truth of what humans are capable of doing to other species and other ecological contexts on this planet," says the anthropologist.
"It became 'common sense', but also symbolically important, to save the whale."
Whales of Power
Researchers at UiO are studying relations between humans and aquatic mammals in maritime areas in East Asia. They look at religious beliefs about whales and other marine mammals, festivals and ritual traditions related to the animals, as well as marine nature conservation projects.
The goal is to understand how social, economic and environmental changes affect human-animal relationships.
