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Loading...If You Aren’t Native American, Put Down That Bald Eagle Feather
The U.S. Department of Justice recently finalized its policy regarding the use of feathers or other parts of federally protected birds. For most of us, getting caught with a bald eagle feather or raptor claw would be a criminal offense, and killing one might mean jail time. In the recent clarification, however, Native Americans are exempted, allowing federally recognized tribes to use the feathers and other parts of federally protected birds.
Federal wildlife laws, like the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, were put into place to ensure that eagles and other bird populations remain healthy and sustainable. These laws generally prohibit the possession, use and sale of the feathers or other parts of federally protected birds, as well as the unauthorized killing of such birds.
These majestic birds are a national treasure, and deserve to live out their noble lives without fear of being shot from the sky or caught in a snare. Besides being beautiful and rare, federally protected birds provide a valuable service to the eco-system, eating dead animals and controlling populations of small rodents we might consider to be pests. Logging and the widespread use of a pesticide called DDT almost wiped out the Bald Eagle in the mid-20th century, and it took many years on the endangered species list before the population could recover. The two acts mentioned previously were passed to prohibit the killing, selling, trading, or possession of protected birds by anyone in the U.S., but this creates a problem for America’s original citizens.
Eagles and other raptors hold great meaning for many Native American tribes and sometimes play a role in tribal religious and cultural practices. Under the previously mentioned laws, members of a tribe could be prosecuted for participating in rituals that have been part of their culture for centuries. The DOJ’s clarification, however, seeks to balance the obligation to enforce federal wildlife laws with a commitment to support tribal sovereignty and tribal self-determination.
Under the new policy, the DOJ agrees not to prosecute federally recognized tribes who possess, give, exchange, lend or travel with feathers or parts of eagles or migratory birds. However, buying or selling the feathers or other parts of eagles or other migratory birds or trading them for goods or services (or attempting to do so), and killing the bird will still be a criminal offense.
“Eagles and other native migratory bird species are a vital part of our nation’s natural heritage, and we remain dedicated to providing every American with the opportunity to experience them in the wild,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “This new policy honors the past while looking to the future, contributing to the preservation of these species and ensuring that tribal members can continue their religious and cultural practices for generations to come.”
Related Reading:
D.C. Metro Train Rescues Injured Bald Eagle
Read more: bald eagles, department of justice, golden eagles, migratory birds, native americans, raptors, tribal rituals, tribes
Image via Thinkstock
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+ add your ownThis is on par with illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. We're all presumed guilty if we possess a feather. It's totally unconstitutional but who's going to challenge it? And some people commenting here are all for it. They support tyranny as long as it suits their own purpose. This is what happens when you let socio-fascists rule the roost. All of us allowed this to happen so we did it to ourselves and have only ourselves to blame, not only for this, but for what's inevitably coming, soon.
Johnice R. Don't know many Native American women who would call themselves a "squaw". A rather derogatory word for a woman.
As it's been pointed out by several knowledgeable people, it's been illegal for a long time to pick up or keep a predatory feather unless your part of the First Nations people---nothing new here, so don't get your feathers all ruffled up. If you want to see eagle feathers, go find a good traditional pow wow and enjoy yourselves and make sure you bring the family! Great things to buy, good food to eat, and you'll be able to participate in a wonderful tradition of respect for elders, veterans, the Earth, and the Creator.
For Picking UP A Feather?!?! Shaking MY head here.....
Not to be able to pick up feathers and keep them is the dumbest thing ever. Only the US could think of something like that I guess.
thanks for sharing :)
I'lm all for conservation & protecting species & protecting habitats, but come on, a feather?
I know the gov. was giving some Native Am.'s a hard time for transporting elaborate, ceremonial beaded, feathered costumes to summer gatherings where said costumes would be worn as part of ritual spiritual dances, etc.
So is good they settled their petty pickiness with the Original Inhabitants,but if I went out feather gathering - I wouldn't know an eagle feather from Canadian goose feather, a pigeon from a duck feather?
ty
interesting. I mean obviously no one is allowed to kill them. but owning a feather? wow
The Hopi of NE Arizona have a religious practice involving golden eagles, which seems to do great harm to those birds. I believe that, first, a chick are stolen from nests (possibly part of the point is to test the strength and piety of the poacher, who must climb up to the aerie, and risk the wrath of the parents). Then, the chick is raised in a small cage on the roof of a house (I saw this once, in the town of Old Oraibi, around 25 years ago); you are told not to look at the eagles in their cages, because that would cause some sort of religious harm. Then, finally, at some appropriate time, when the eagle has grown to adult size, it is taken out of cage, and sacrificed.
I am a great admirer of Native Americans, for their resilience in the face of terrible prejudice and injustice, and for the remarkable creativity that they show in their arts and their religions. But I do not admire the Hopi for this particular practice, which is clearly so cruel to sentient creatures.
Denise K...................I like your post and agree with you 1000%. Couldn't have said it better myself.
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