| May 2006 - Issue 2 |
eleventh.transmission
Ignoring Definition
article and poems by S-J Krahn
"This is a simple human rights issue. We have a right to continue our subsistence way of life.
Oil drilling in the birth place and nursing grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd would hurt
the caribou and threaten the future of my people.”
-Sarah James, Arctic Village
ref•uge (ref’yooj) n. 1. Shelter or protection, as from danger or distress. 2. One who
or that which shelters or protects. 3. A safe place; asylum.
The delicate balance of nature has been increasingly disturbed by human development in
the past century or so. An example of this disturbance which is close to home is in the Yukon
and Alaska, where the Porcupine Caribou Herd, a staple resource of the Vuntut Gwitchin
people and a majestic indicator species* calves, roams, and fights for survival. The
traditional way of life experienced by the Vuntut Gwitchin parallels the natural paths toward
survival of the caribou. For thousands of years these people have lived harmoniously with the
environment, using only what they needed and never letting any gift from nature go to
waste. Roasts, dry meat, pemmican, and soups can all be made to use all edible parts of the
caribou, while the remaining portions of the body are used to make moccasins, mittens,
boots, jackets, dresses, purses, and belts. Overhunting is not something that has ever
occurred in this peaceful community by the Porcupine River.
Now, pressures on the American government to find sources of oil and gas development on
home soil have led to an attempted break from a 1987 bilateral agreement between the U.S.
and Canada to refrain from any activity that could put the Porcupine Caribou Herd at risk.
Led by Alaska Senator Teddy Stevens, the coalition to drill on what is right now a wildlife
refuge has fortunately been voted down for now. In December 2005 there was huge
controversy in the American House of Representatives over whether or not to add drilling in
the Arctic Refuge to the 2006 budget. Sadly, one ofthe main reasons used to justify this
proposal was that the money gained from oil development on home soil could be used to
fund overseas military exploits. Many Democratic senators who opposed opening up the
refuge to drilling found the choice between that and less military funds an ethically difficult
one. The real kicker is that overseas military exploits are so often closely tied to securing
foreign oil and gas resources and in that sense should be unnecessary if drilling is done at
home. Thus, drilling at home should theoretically decrease the need for military funding.
Fortunately, enough senators were able to recognize the sensitivity of the environment at the
Arctic Refuge and the proposal has been voted down. 95% of the Alaskan coast is already
open for drilling, and it is ridiculous that more land be destroyed by not only human
development but by greed and the hunger for power.
* A species with a prominent role in an ecosystem, often high on the food chain. Observed
changes to the behaviour, morphology,and population size such a species is often used as
an indicator of the state of the environment around it. Thus, the imbalance that would be
caused by drilling in caribou calving grounds would reflect a parallel imbalance in all
elements of the surrounding ecosystem.
wild•life (wīld’līf’) n. Wild animals, trees, and plants collectively; especially, wild
animals and birds.
“Ignoring vigorous opposition from Canada, the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday
voted overwhelmingly to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.”
Whose Imagined Home
occupies this
1987
bilateral agreement?:
forego any and all
activities
that could harm
herds of caribou
or their habitat
+ amendment
to pursue oil
production
at home
Teddy Stevens
“vowed to win
approval
for oil
exploration
before
Christmas.”
Surprise,
down the chimney
in red velvet sacs
plop
5 – 16
billion
barrels
Showdown
between
the caribou,
America’s
Armed Forces
unhinges
spending promises
to troops
$453 billion
to support Iraq,
Afghanistan
Definitive
characteristic
of caribou:
the males
sport antlers
the females
sport antlers
(graze on oil?)
Canada stands
where?
repeatedly oppose
repeatedly lobby
repeatedly warn
Vuntut Gwitchin
rely on reindeer
for sustenance
reindeer rely on
Arctic Refuge
for home
Arctic Refuge
relies on
D.C. herds
to stand down
copia, copiae
Sg.
abundance,
supply
Pl.
forces, troops,
supplies
insidiae, insidiarum
Sg. meaning, Pl. form
ambush,
treachery, plot
terra, terrae
Sg.
earth, country,
land, ground
virtus, virtutis
Sg.
character, virtue,
excellence;
courage,
manliness,
worth
Empathy
Senate
relates
to
Foreign
Troops
Activist
relates
to
Natural
Landscape
Poet
relates
to
Word
Play
“Oil
relates
to
National
Security”
Children
relate
to reindeer;
drilling displaces
their molars,
their mouths
cramp back voices,
they garble
their words –
“They want to extinct
Santa’s helpers”
Independence Day
- Discover
home soil!
- Reduce
on foreign oil!
- Sell,
buy!
- Fund
fights!
- Control
oil supplies!
Pet Project
Domesticate!
The caribou
beg,
roll over,
sit up,
play
dead.
adopt
allow
appear
appreciate
attach
believe
block
border
choose
compare
demand
dismiss
drill
entice
estimate
explore
fail
filibuster
follow
force
forego
fund
give
harm
help
ignore
include
increase
justify
lobby
maintain
migrate
oppose
pass
plan
pursue
recess
recover
reduce
rely
remain
risk
scramble
strip
succeed
support
threaten
trigger
try
understand
violate
vote
vow
warn
What Can I Do To Help?
Contact your Member of Parliament to voice your opinion on the subject. To find contact
information for your MP, go to
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Language=E
Check out the Being Caribou website. You will find tons of information regarding the Arctic
Wildlife Refuge and the film as well.
Tell your friends and get involved!
Caribou pictures from the Boreal Caribou Research Program.
S-J Krahn is a University of Calgary student entering her 5th year of Honours English, who
despite her fiery love for 1 American and her warm love for another, is always eager to blend
her poetic juices and her search for social justice with a healthy dose of critical analysis of
the U.S. She has a sweet tooth for grapes, perambulators, and gay deer.
word, image, truth, love
| Caribou graze in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in this undated photo from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. |
Apathy Flip a quarter. |
| Alaska Senator Ted Stevens barrels out of the Senate chamber on Wednesday after the Senate voted down his proposal. |
