WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.020 align:middle line:90% 00:00:01.020 --> 00:00:06.660 align:middle line:84% My third eagle-- an eagle pair so alike in their fate as to be 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:08.670 align:middle line:90% a single bird-- 00:00:08.670 --> 00:00:13.620 align:middle line:84% a few weeks ago at a small County Zoo in New Jersey, 00:00:13.620 --> 00:00:16.110 align:middle line:84% they lived in a well-kept, what was it? 00:00:16.110 --> 00:00:16.980 align:middle line:90% Habitat? 00:00:16.980 --> 00:00:18.380 align:middle line:90% Cage? 00:00:18.380 --> 00:00:21.420 align:middle line:84% How perspective changes depending on where you stand-- 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:26.130 align:middle line:84% if you live inside or out, what you mean by territory. 00:00:26.130 --> 00:00:30.210 align:middle line:84% The whole of which is enclosed by a special tangle-resistant 00:00:30.210 --> 00:00:32.310 align:middle line:90% mesh. 00:00:32.310 --> 00:00:35.490 align:middle line:84% At the center, was a high platform piled with sticks-- 00:00:35.490 --> 00:00:38.730 align:middle line:84% the makings of a nest the keepers started 00:00:38.730 --> 00:00:40.850 align:middle line:90% but which not being mates-- 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:43.890 align:middle line:84% friends, pals, yes, they got along fine-- 00:00:43.890 --> 00:00:45.990 align:middle line:90% the birds wouldn't finish. 00:00:45.990 --> 00:00:48.330 align:middle line:84% Eagles don't much like platforms, 00:00:48.330 --> 00:00:50.370 align:middle line:84% and their courtship displays require 00:00:50.370 --> 00:00:55.110 align:middle line:84% high aerial loops, a clasping of talons, a plunge toward Earth, 00:00:55.110 --> 00:00:57.720 align:middle line:90% and deft release. 00:00:57.720 --> 00:01:02.310 align:middle line:84% Netting, as their keeper said, kills the mood. 00:01:02.310 --> 00:01:05.010 align:middle line:90% Both were rehabilitation birds-- 00:01:05.010 --> 00:01:08.010 align:middle line:84% unintentionally shot, their vision was bad, 00:01:08.010 --> 00:01:10.710 align:middle line:84% and their wings didn't heal thoroughly. 00:01:10.710 --> 00:01:14.280 align:middle line:84% And they couldn't be released into the wild. 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:16.410 align:middle line:90% Or what would happen? 00:01:16.410 --> 00:01:19.200 align:middle line:84% They'd die, which is, of course, what 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:20.940 align:middle line:84% happens to birds with lousy sight 00:01:20.940 --> 00:01:22.710 align:middle line:90% and bad wings out in the world. 00:01:22.710 --> 00:01:24.030 align:middle line:90% They can't hunt well. 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:27.150 align:middle line:84% They bump into things and get hit by trucks. 00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:30.900 align:middle line:84% The longer I looked, in the rain and then humid sun, 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:35.430 align:middle line:84% the more I saw the decision to keep them alive at the zoo 00:01:35.430 --> 00:01:38.260 align:middle line:90% wasn't their decision at all. 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:40.630 align:middle line:84% And then it was hard to see the birds 00:01:40.630 --> 00:01:41.880 align:middle line:90% for the good they'd been done. 00:01:41.880 --> 00:01:44.980 align:middle line:90% 00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:48.100 align:middle line:84% At the National Eagle Repository in Denver 00:01:48.100 --> 00:01:49.990 align:middle line:84% where the bodies of all dead eagles 00:01:49.990 --> 00:01:54.370 align:middle line:84% go, when not heading sunward, when not on a journey 00:01:54.370 --> 00:01:58.660 align:middle line:84% to pierce the upper world, birds from all over the country 00:01:58.660 --> 00:02:02.260 align:middle line:84% are collected, cataloged, and frozen. 00:02:02.260 --> 00:02:06.760 align:middle line:84% It's illegal to keep a dead eagle, even if just come upon-- 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:10.389 align:middle line:84% a victim of electrocution, shooting, trapping, or highway 00:02:10.389 --> 00:02:12.460 align:middle line:90% accidents. 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:16.060 align:middle line:84% So if it's your practice to use eagle feathers in ceremonies, 00:02:16.060 --> 00:02:18.730 align:middle line:84% to use talons in dances, or bones 00:02:18.730 --> 00:02:21.520 align:middle line:84% or skulls in celebrations, if your intention is 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:24.160 align:middle line:84% to be a practicing Native American, 00:02:24.160 --> 00:02:26.230 align:middle line:84% you must first petition the government 00:02:26.230 --> 00:02:29.200 align:middle line:90% for the use of any eagle parts. 00:02:29.200 --> 00:02:31.120 align:middle line:84% A bulletin put out by the US Fish 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:34.870 align:middle line:84% and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:39.820 align:middle line:84% answers questions about the procedures for procuring. 00:02:39.820 --> 00:02:43.540 align:middle line:84% Quote, "only enrolled members of federally recognized tribes 00:02:43.540 --> 00:02:47.230 align:middle line:84% can obtain a permit from FWS authorizing them to receive 00:02:47.230 --> 00:02:50.050 align:middle line:84% and possess eagle feathers from the repository 00:02:50.050 --> 00:02:54.370 align:middle line:84% for religious purposes," unquote. 00:02:54.370 --> 00:02:57.010 align:middle line:84% On the application, you must specify 00:02:57.010 --> 00:02:59.380 align:middle line:84% whether you want a golden or bald eagle, 00:02:59.380 --> 00:03:02.920 align:middle line:84% a mature or immature bird, a whole bird or specific parts, 00:03:02.920 --> 00:03:05.410 align:middle line:90% or have no preference. 00:03:05.410 --> 00:03:10.000 align:middle line:84% And to, quote, "make sure you request either a whole bird 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:10.930 align:middle line:90% or parts. 00:03:10.930 --> 00:03:15.400 align:middle line:90% Do not ask for both," unquote. 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:17.530 align:middle line:84% "If part of the bird or its feathers 00:03:17.530 --> 00:03:20.170 align:middle line:84% are missing, damaged, or broken, FWS staff 00:03:20.170 --> 00:03:22.480 align:middle line:84% may add replacement parts from another bird 00:03:22.480 --> 00:03:25.030 align:middle line:90% to make it complete. 00:03:25.030 --> 00:03:27.070 align:middle line:84% The recipient is notified when this 00:03:27.070 --> 00:03:29.860 align:middle line:90% is the case prior to shipping." 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:31.000 align:middle line:90% That was all a quote. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:32.860 align:middle line:90% All of that was a quote. 00:03:32.860 --> 00:03:35.860 align:middle line:84% There is also an approved ceremonies list, 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:38.710 align:middle line:84% though you're not required to name the religious ceremony 00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:42.880 align:middle line:84% if doing so violates the sanctity of your belief. 00:03:42.880 --> 00:03:46.480 align:middle line:84% Applicants are advised of the long waiting period for birds. 00:03:46.480 --> 00:03:48.730 align:middle line:84% For the immature golden eagle, the most in demand, 00:03:48.730 --> 00:03:50.590 align:middle line:90% it's at least five years. 00:03:50.590 --> 00:03:52.720 align:middle line:84% There are over 5,000 people on the waiting 00:03:52.720 --> 00:03:57.670 align:middle line:84% list for approximately the 1,000 eagles 00:03:57.670 --> 00:04:00.760 align:middle line:84% the repository receives annually. 00:04:00.760 --> 00:04:05.420 align:middle line:84% Other wait times include whole tail only, golden eagle, 4 to 4 00:04:05.420 --> 00:04:09.490 align:middle line:84% and 1/2 years, whole tail only, bald eagle, 2 to 2 00:04:09.490 --> 00:04:12.580 align:middle line:84% and 1/2 years, pair of eagle wings, approximately one 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:21.410 align:middle line:84% year, trunks, heads, and talons, on receipt of request. 00:04:21.410 --> 00:04:23.260 align:middle line:84% The application is highly specific so as 00:04:23.260 --> 00:04:25.810 align:middle line:90% to carefully dose out birds. 00:04:25.810 --> 00:04:28.780 align:middle line:84% Quote, "each applicant can apply for only one whole eagle 00:04:28.780 --> 00:04:31.300 align:middle line:84% or specific parts equivalent to one bird-- 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:34.930 align:middle line:84% i.e. two wings, one tail, two talons at a time." 00:04:34.930 --> 00:04:37.810 align:middle line:84% A bag of 20 miscellaneous eagle feathers 00:04:37.810 --> 00:04:41.500 align:middle line:84% might include assorted bald or golden eagle feathers 00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:44.920 align:middle line:84% of various sizes, such as primary, secondaries, tails 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:45.730 align:middle line:90% and plumes. 00:04:45.730 --> 00:04:47.800 align:middle line:90% Quality may vary. 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:50.695 align:middle line:84% Applicants, quote, "may not customize orders." 00:04:50.695 --> 00:04:53.290 align:middle line:90% 00:04:53.290 --> 00:04:57.110 align:middle line:84% That an allotment cannot be customized-- 00:04:57.110 --> 00:05:01.150 align:middle line:84% this is me-- that an allotment cannot be customized means take 00:05:01.150 --> 00:05:02.440 align:middle line:90% what you're given-- 00:05:02.440 --> 00:05:05.980 align:middle line:84% like government cheese-- free, but who wants it? 00:05:05.980 --> 00:05:07.810 align:middle line:90% Means make do with salvage-- 00:05:07.810 --> 00:05:09.870 align:middle line:90% the parts messed up in death-- 00:05:09.870 --> 00:05:14.740 align:middle line:84% burnt, crushed, poisoned, et cetera, or with the ersatz. 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:18.190 align:middle line:84% Real Legal Feathers, a company, sells turkey feathers 00:05:18.190 --> 00:05:20.800 align:middle line:84% as a "great alternative" and claims 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:22.540 align:middle line:84% that you can wash, dry, and preen 00:05:22.540 --> 00:05:24.580 align:middle line:84% the web back together just as you would 00:05:24.580 --> 00:05:27.220 align:middle line:90% any other natural feather. 00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:30.640 align:middle line:84% Perhaps-- and this seems like a reasonable conjecture after 00:05:30.640 --> 00:05:33.640 align:middle line:84% reading the application and FAQs-- 00:05:33.640 --> 00:05:36.790 align:middle line:84% if there were a sudden scarcity of crosses, 00:05:36.790 --> 00:05:39.370 align:middle line:84% if crosses were not legally available, 00:05:39.370 --> 00:05:42.370 align:middle line:84% one could make do with an X maybe, 00:05:42.370 --> 00:05:44.890 align:middle line:84% which is, after all, just a cross on its side, 00:05:44.890 --> 00:05:47.890 align:middle line:84% a little tipsy and slightly askew, but squint 00:05:47.890 --> 00:05:52.510 align:middle line:84% and tilt your head, and it's more or less the same form. 00:05:52.510 --> 00:05:55.510 align:middle line:84% If feathers are earned through deeds, 00:05:55.510 --> 00:05:58.930 align:middle line:84% if feathers are the deeds themselves as they 00:05:58.930 --> 00:06:01.870 align:middle line:84% are to the Lakota, if the feather is the bird 00:06:01.870 --> 00:06:04.360 align:middle line:84% and the eagle trapping sites are sacred, 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:09.220 align:middle line:84% and, by extension, a communally regulated act undertaken only 00:06:09.220 --> 00:06:12.510 align:middle line:84% after intense prayer and fasting, 00:06:12.510 --> 00:06:15.280 align:middle line:84% and if one must now apply to the government for feathers 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:19.180 align:middle line:84% and parts, how can the sacred proceed? 00:06:19.180 --> 00:06:21.880 align:middle line:84% Flensed from feather, over-touched, bagged, 00:06:21.880 --> 00:06:24.220 align:middle line:84% portioned out, not earned or freely chosen 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:27.220 align:middle line:84% with no words spoken over it, no tradition directing 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:31.600 align:middle line:84% or participating, how will the spirit do its work? 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.780 align:middle line:84% If what's as holy as the actual bird is the getting 00:06:34.780 --> 00:06:38.020 align:middle line:84% of the bird, if what is holy needs for expression-- 00:06:38.020 --> 00:06:41.040 align:middle line:90% a season, death, an occasion-- 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:44.440 align:middle line:84% than the filling out of forms, and before that even, 00:06:44.440 --> 00:06:48.790 align:middle line:84% the freezing, thawing, picking, packing of eagles upends, 00:06:48.790 --> 00:06:52.630 align:middle line:84% recomposes the shape of holy time. 00:06:52.630 --> 00:06:56.110 align:middle line:90% Made to wait, the holy phrase. 00:06:56.110 --> 00:06:59.680 align:middle line:90% Daily time wears it away. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.170 align:middle line:84% The following of directions and checking of boxes 00:07:02.170 --> 00:07:07.240 align:middle line:84% confers no story, no morning of anticipation, 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:11.260 align:middle line:84% no suspension of thought while hunting, no flare of sun 00:07:11.260 --> 00:07:14.800 align:middle line:84% before it drops low, wind lifting eagle, 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:18.640 align:middle line:84% and soft wings sound ceasing, warmth of body 00:07:18.640 --> 00:07:23.620 align:middle line:84% and heft in the arms, sense of life and rim of breath not gone 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:26.590 align:middle line:90% but hovering, entering, saying. 00:07:26.590 --> 00:07:30.970 align:middle line:84% And this is just me imagining the calling down, the getting, 00:07:30.970 --> 00:07:33.400 align:middle line:90% the gathering of an eagle. 00:07:33.400 --> 00:07:35.860 align:middle line:84% Out there, the real story is missing. 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:39.180 align:middle line:90% 00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:43.990 align:middle line:84% Of a carved, white, wooden bird, an elaborate cutout 00:07:43.990 --> 00:07:46.150 align:middle line:84% art practiced in Baltic countries, 00:07:46.150 --> 00:07:50.725 align:middle line:84% John Berger writes regarding its form, its slightness, 00:07:50.725 --> 00:07:54.340 align:middle line:90% austerity, complexity. 00:07:54.340 --> 00:07:57.430 align:middle line:84% Quote, "one is looking at a piece of wood 00:07:57.430 --> 00:07:59.590 align:middle line:90% that has become a bird. 00:07:59.590 --> 00:08:03.370 align:middle line:84% One is looking at a bird that is somehow more than a bird. 00:08:03.370 --> 00:08:04.870 align:middle line:84% One is looking at something that has 00:08:04.870 --> 00:08:11.000 align:middle line:84% been worked with a mysterious skill and kind of love." 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.400 align:middle line:84% Not so much a symbol of a bird, but an effort, 00:08:13.400 --> 00:08:16.860 align:middle line:84% quote, "to translate a message received from a bird." 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:19.790 align:middle line:90% A teasing out of qualities. 00:08:19.790 --> 00:08:24.500 align:middle line:84% Not an imitation but a glimpse, an attempt, as his language 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.030 align:middle line:90% too is an attempt. 00:08:26.030 --> 00:08:29.780 align:middle line:84% Each repetition of one is looking, one is looking, 00:08:29.780 --> 00:08:33.360 align:middle line:84% a return to the beginning-- a trying out again, 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:36.320 align:middle line:84% a reconstituting in different angles of light 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:40.490 align:middle line:84% so that by multiple views one might draw closer to. 00:08:40.490 --> 00:08:44.059 align:middle line:84% The birds, not a symbol, but an expression of something 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:46.280 align:middle line:90% hard to catch hold of. 00:08:46.280 --> 00:08:49.730 align:middle line:84% Feathers of wood, a tree lofted in breeze 00:08:49.730 --> 00:08:53.630 align:middle line:84% and lifted and launched, a tree becoming 00:08:53.630 --> 00:08:55.610 align:middle line:90% the thing it sheltered. 00:08:55.610 --> 00:08:59.100 align:middle line:90% A bird expressing blossoming. 00:08:59.100 --> 00:09:02.270 align:middle line:84% The qualities of one becoming the qualities of another-- 00:09:02.270 --> 00:09:06.520 align:middle line:90% a variation, in one thing many.