Images of the Faroe Islands

From a suggestion I thought I would post some images of one the most beautiful places on the earth.






Pictures courtesy of G. Norðoy. Please check out his Flickr site.

Am I doing OK??

Image from G. Norðoy on Flickr of Klaksvik. Please check out his other pictures.

I have written 15 postings since starting this blog. It has been good for me to write things down and let everyone know about the Faroe Islands. I hope that everyone that reads my blog are enjoying it too.

I understand that it takes a while for the word to get around about a blog and I know I have had some readers. But what I don't know is "Am I doing OK?" I feel somewhat strange about this but I would love to hear your comments. Are the topics interesting? Is there something that you are interested in?

Let me me know what you think. Leave a comment.

Thanks

Grindadráp - Whale Hunt

WARNING SOME OF THE IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME PEOPLE.




I understand that this is a controversial topic but this is one of my earliest and best memories as a child. I was five years old and would have been one of these small kids you see in this picture.

I didn't think anything of it at the time. It was just a part of being Faroese. My mother even took a picture of me standing on one of the whales. (I wish I had that picture today) It was also the day I got my first knife. The funny thing about this was that it was a regular fishing knife with a red handle and a black plastic sleeve and my mother was afraid that I would hurt myself. Now she didn't what to upset me or my uncle who gave it to me so she made a swap. She took the fishing knife and saved it for me and gave me a folding knife under the condition that I did not open the knife. I still have the knife today and is one of the best knifes I own. Now I carried this on to both of my boys a gave them a knife when they were 5 years old.

There is a Faroese proverb:
Knívleysur maður er lívleysur - The knifeless man is a lifeless man.
Knifes are an essential part of Faroese life. It is used in every facet of everyday living.

Now I understand that images of whales being rounded up to shore and being killed can be hard to stomach for some people but for most Americans we believe that all the meat just shows up at the supermarket. We never think of the process it takes to get that a steak, chicken or pork chop to that supermarket. Slaughter houses are not pretty and are no more humane then what the Faroese do in a whale hunt. It is probably more humane. A whale is unconscious within seconds of the first cut being made, and dead usually in well under a minute. The image that seems to stick in peoples minds is the bays being full of blood but let me remind you that slaughter houses have the same situation and they just wash it down the drain. We never see the amount of blood that is being washed away. I think for people to get over these images it might do them well to take a look at images of a slaughter house.

Now I looking at these images how can anyone say that this is better for the animals then the Grindadráp.


Now I understand that a lot of people believe that the pilot whales are endangered but this is just not true. The amount of pilot whales in the North Atlantic is almost 800,000. The Faroese have also been keeping records of their catch as far back as 1584 and unbroken records that started in 1709. The average annual catch by the Faroese for the past 300 years has been around 850 pilot whales. This catch is a sustainable amount and in no way endangers these whales. The Faroese government keeps a close watch on all of the catches.

Check out their website for information. Whales and Whaling in the Faroe Islands

Another aspect of the whaling is that the whales are only hunted if the if they come close to the islands. They never go out of the inlets of the islands to hunt the pilot whales. They are also never sold. The whales are divided amongst everyone of the village that catches them.

Now I understand that many may think why do the Faroese need to do this. That they can get their meat from other sources. Well the pilot whale is a staple of meat for the Faroe Islands. The islands are not suited for most grazing animals. Now sheep are plenty but as far as cattle it can not be done. So most all of the beef on the islands are imported. The Faroe Islands' main source of food for over a thousand years has come from the sea and the pilot whale is just a part of it.

Now there have been many that have tried to stop the Grindadráp but this is ingrained into the Faroese culture as fishing. It is a part of their tradition and their lives. It is time that everyone in the village participates. It is a part of their identity. It is something that will not change.

The last thing I would like to share is what many people will ask and that is how does it taste? Well a whale is a mammal. It would be similar to many different mammals. It is not like beef or deer but it has a gaming taste and is dark in color. Now I have never liked the taste of the blubber but this is main part of the whale that is also eaten. There is not much of the whale that is wasted.

The first and last image I would like to give credit to Jan Egil Kristiansen. Check out some of his photos. He has a lot of GREAT photos of the Faroe Islands.

I would also like for you to also do some of your own reading on this topic. The more you know the more you understand.

Whales and Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Kate Sandersen General Secretary of NAMMCO
Wikipedia
High North Alliance

Give Thanks

I haven't written anything for awhile so I felt I needed to say something on this day of giving thanks. I have many things to be thankful for as I believe we all do. I understand that things are not always the way we would like them to be and many things we would like to have changed in our lives but for me I need to give thanks for even the small things. We all have something that we can give thanks to.

I have not given you guys much information of my personal life but I have much to be thankful for in this arena. I am very thankful for my wife of 25 years. She is the most important thing in my life. I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for her. She is my everything. We almost lost her this January to an aneurysm. It was the scariest time in my life. When faced with death you realize what is truly important in your life.

I also have two wonderful boys that are 17 and almost 19 years old. They are, I guess you could say "the apple of my eye". They have been a challenge at times but I am so grateful for each of them. They have enriched my life more then I could have ever imagined.

I have to also give thanks to the many family members I have from my brother and sister and their family, to my wifes family and to my family in the Faroe Islands. As I said earlier when you are faced with losing someone you are also faced with what is important in your life and family and friends are some of the most important in my life.

As a recovering alcoholic I have to give thanks for the almost 30 years of being clean and sober. Nothing I give thanks to today would be possible if I wasn't sober.

And with respect to this experience of blogging I would like to extend my thanks to everyone that may read my blog and for all the blogs that I read. Expanding my horizon in this fashion has been a great experience.


Lastly I want to give thanks for the whole point of this blog and that is being Faroese American. I believe that being half Faroese and having this connection to the Faroe Islands gives me a different prospective on life. I have such a fondness to the Faroe Islands that I refer to it as home even though I have not been there for over 30 years. Being Faroese I see the world smaller and more connected then most. That we are all in this world together and that we should all be looking after each other. That even though the United States is the biggest and the most powerful country in the world, that we have a responsibility to everyone on this planet. That what we do can and will effect others. That we are a global community and that we as a country need to look at the bigger picture rather then just look at ourselves as the major power. That we need look to our neighbors and respect them. We also as a country can learn much from our neighbors no matter how small they may be.

So on this day of thanks I wish everyone a wonderful day.

Faroese Election Results

Well the election is over and the results are in.

Republican Party came in first and will send Høgni Hoydal to the Danish parliament.
Union Party came in second and will send Endmond Joensen to the Danish parliament.

Faroe-Man has all the numbers on his site. I didn't want to get into all that because it is a bunch of numbers and a lot of it doesn't make sense to me. So if you want the numbers check his blog.

I would like to give a few observations on this elections and don't get me wrong I am no expert on politics and I understand even less about Faroese politics. But I have been doing a lot of asking.

The Republican Party is very much for independence, it was founded in 1948 after independence was not achieved in 1946. So for me, this a statement that a large portion of population still believes and wants independence.

The Unionist Party is the opposite they want to maintain the ties with Denmark. This party has been around since 1906 from what I can figure out from their website. What this says is that not everyone wants independence.

OK I know that it seems that I am pointing out the obvious and maybe I am, but it appears that the country is split. That there is no true consensus on what direction the country wants to go. It may become a little clearer in January when they hold a general election for the Faroese Parliament but from this election it appears split.

From every avenue I have searched there seems to be people on both ends of the street. I even have it in my family. None of them are all in agreement. The arguments on both sides have good points. I even understand some of the points. The idea of independence as an American goes to the core of our country. The desire to be in control of your destiny and control your own affairs is rooted in the United States. So for the Faroese to want the same I can completely understand and I support. On the opposite side of the street is the notion that the Faroe Islands has a population of 48,000. This is a small country. I live in Auburn which is a small town in Washington which has a population larger then the Faroe Islands and I can not imagine this town handling international affairs. Also the town would not be able to make it without support from the State or the Federal Government. This is the argument from the people that want to keep the ties to Denmark. That the Faroe Islands can not survive without the support from Denmark. That with the subsidies along with the benefits of education and military that the Faroe Islands needs Denmark.

So how can these differences be resolved?? I am not sure but I feel that if the supporters of independence wants to convince more people to their platform they will need to cut ALL ties with Denmark. They will have to stop excepting any money from Denmark. That they will have to pay for anyone that seeks education in Denmark or any other EU country. That they seek out agreements with the European Union for defense of the Faroe Islands. If this can be done and the country can stand on its own there is no reason that independence shouldn't be achieved. If they can't then the point that they need Denmark has been made. Until then I think you will have people on both ends.

Like I said I am no expert but I have my opinions that might work. And please if any of my facts are incorrect please correct me.

On another note from this election, it looks like the Faroe Islands could be a factor in determining the Prime Minister of Denmark. Check out his article from Topix.

Also here is a link to Faroese Politics from Wikipedia.

I hope this hasn't bored everyone but I am somewhat of political junkie.