Tag Archives: whaling tradition
The Grind: Faroe Islands divided over whaling tradition
Residents of the Volcanic archipelago, located in the North Atlantic Ocean between Scotland and Iceland, call the hunt the Grind (pronounced to rhyme with “wind”). When the call is given, flotillas of boats set sail, herding pods of whales onto the beaches, where villagers wade through the water to kill them with lances. Yet whale meat has always been a staple of the Faroese diet: locals have historically consumed the meat and blubber to sustain themselves over the harsh winter months. Jens Mortan Rasmussen, one such whaler, believes that pilot whale is still an important and sustainable food source for the islands. “Everything you see at the supermarket is imported,” he said. “The meat that we eat at the supermarket, we barely know where that comes from. I need to kill about 2000 chickens for the life of one whale. “If you feel that you can eat a chicken and then say I can’t kill a whale, you’re a total hypocrite. Read the story here 11:07
