Tribal Pets

Voor Nederlands https://www.tribes.world/nl/blog/tribal-huisdieren

We have a day for everything; Brother and Sister Day, Sunglass Day, SelfieDay, so on. Next to animal day we have - of course - a cat day. Whereas the cute fluffy bulbs in ancient Egypt played an important role in the Egyptian religious life, they now occupy a prominent place in many households. More and more cats, like dogs by the way, are seen as full family members.

Animals have had a place in our lives since the birth of mankind. It’s obvious, because they were there before human. Unfortunately, we do not always have a peaceful society; take the slaughterhouse affair last year, or the terrible conditions with the Angora rabbits. Don't misunderstand me; I don't mind eating meat, or using animal materials, but the way it sometimes happens is absolutely a no go.

As the old nomads teach us, we must treat animals with respect and decency. Not only those with a high stroke factor, but every living being on earth. We kill a mosquito with all ease, while a cute ladybird is unharmed led outside. Both are insects, both have a contribution (mosquitoes are food for fish and other reptiles, ladybirds help protecting our plants from aphids).

It is striking how different tribes treat the animals, both pets and wildlife, then the 'modern' world. A good example is the Awá tribe from the dense forests of the Amazon. They are hunters and collectors and rely entirely on nature. However, they have some useful guidelines, whereby certain species are only hunted during certain seasons. This gives the species concerned time to recover during the period when it is not being hunted. Small animals such as the hummingbird are not shot at all, because they are too small to provide sufficient nutrition. Monkeys and raccoons are the pet animals of the jungle and are taken in abundance. The animals are considered to be hanima, part of the family.

The Chukchi from Siberia has just as special a bond with their Huskies. The dogs participate in daily life by pulling the sleds over the ice, but during heavy snowstorms they are just lying between the family before the fire in the yurt. The reindeer of the Dikha are sacred and are only slaughtered - quickly and painlessly - when they are old or sick. His or her death is not for nothing: everything is used, from bone to skin. But both the Chuckhi and the Dukha, will never slaughter a healthy animal for their own use.

The Inuit have a special ritual of honoring the slaughtered animals. They hunt aquatic animals during the season, drilling a hole in the ice. After a hunter has caught a sea creature, he first thanks the animal for his sacrifice. He takes the animal's bladder home with him, and it is kept until it is time for the ‘Bladder party'. The Inuit believe that the bladder contains the soul of the animal, and during the ‘Bladder Festival’ the bladders are blown up and stuffed into the ice. In this way they give the soul back to the sea, to ensure that there are enough new animals, and the soul can begin the rest of its life.

It all starts with awareness, so you really don't have to open your door to all the crawling creatures in the garden. Give Minoes a nice stroke over the head and an extra tasty snack on Cat Day, put that insect spray away for a day, and take a piece of organic meat!