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gramathy t1_iujqdtk wrote

Reply to comment by decrementsf in TIL the United States government has a National Eagle Repository, which provides Eagle feathers and parts to Native Americans for cultural and religious purposes. by tranquilrage73

Infantilisation? This is for preservation of the eagles which would otherwise be extinct at this point, not “be a good boy and well give you feathers. If it wasn’t incredibly illegal to even posess I guarantee poachers would have wiped them out to make shitty “authentic” souvenirs.

The feathers are provided to preserve cultural heritage not to make anyone dependent on anyone else.

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Mosenji t1_iujt2ql wrote

This center was founded in the early 70s when eagle populations were rapidly declining in the lower 48 because their eggshells were too thin to survive thanks to DDT everywhere. Extinction there was a real possibility, besides being a national black eye would be another cultural blow on Indians.

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ChevExpressMan t1_iujuzic wrote

But now the eagle is off the endangered species list. Still, if caught with a eagle feather, that's $100,000 fine if you're not an Indian.

https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Taking-an-eagles-feather-could-get-you-a-100000-fine-and-a-year-in-jail-490671881.html

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S4rd0nyx t1_iujx3iy wrote

Just being Native is not sufficient. Possession is illegal without a specific license, but only Natives are eligible for said license.

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Mosenji t1_iujvqtt wrote

I wonder why the fine is so high?

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ChevExpressMan t1_iujyj5t wrote

It's to deter those who would willingly kill eagles so "collectors" could posses such and thus, prohibit us non-native greedy shits from making money.

Believe it that there's B.I.G. money in the illicit animal trade.

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MkMikki t1_iuk8tpu wrote

Hunting isn’t what brought the eagles to the brink of extinction, DDT did.

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decrementsf t1_iuju5c7 wrote

The fur trade in 1700s America was the first to develop conservation regulations to protect their industry. This was spurred by observation in resource decline as prolific expansion transformed the frontiers. Populations rebounded and today those protocols developed have restored wildlife in parts of the US comparable to when the country first discovered. The consequence of less hunting and migratory trends to cities in the last few generations is that in the suburban to rural boundaries animal populations are growing rapidly.

It's an insult to pretend Native American's are incapable of sustainably running conservation programs. There is generational knowledge of maintaining wildlife populations there as well. We have a hundred years of strategy development. The doors to higher education are open to all. They can afford people education for top notch consulting of those programs without the hand-holding.

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