White Veganism and Its Impact on Indigenous Communities
Impact of White Veganism on Indigenous Farmers
Around the world, Indigenous farms and farmers are now being exploited for foods that they originally produced and consumed in moderation, in accordance with their sacred connections with their lands. Plants including chickpeas, quinoa, avocado, cashews, and coconuts are suddenly being grown at massive amounts to fulfill the demands of corporate supermarkets offering items like hummus, cashew butter, and coconut milk to modern-day northern hemisphere consumers. This has a negative impact on the pricing of these plants, as well as the wellbeing of the farmers and residents of the area, as well as the land itself.
Hunting Bans
Some vegans are frequently insensitive to Indigenous traditions and history in their activism, unwittingly reproducing their own role in the oppression of Indigenous people.
Animal rights groups have been fighting to shut down the sealskin trade since the 1960s. In 1983, the European Union banned sealskin products made from white coat harp seal pups, which had immense impacts on the Inuit. Although the European Union exempted Inuit communities from the ban, this has been ineffective and not had an immense positive impact on the Inuit. The market for sealskin evaporated, leading to lower income for Inuit seal hunters.
Seals are crucial to the Inuit economy and way of life. Inuit seal hunters never hunted the baby whitecoat harp seal pups targeted by these anti-sealing campaigns; they hunted adult seals. In the Inuit communities, food is expensive. The Inuit eat seal meat, which is lean with less than two percent fat, offering a free, local, and inexpensive food source to them, which offers much better nutrition than what the stores offer.
Inuit also use the seal fur to stay warm. Inuit have few economic options and the income from seal hunting supports their lifestyle. Commercial sealing has been a part of their livelihood, as they sell the pelts for money to purchase gas and other hunting supplies, allowing them to go out and hunt for their community.
Note: There are many vegans who are doing their part in helping the world and the environment without harming Indigenous communities and who respect other cultures - veganism is an integral part of many BIPOC cultures. However, this does not mean that traditional Indigenous practices that are inherently sustainable should be banned in the name of veganism, as these practices are integral for certain communities and can have harmful impacts.
References
https://julianayaz.medium.com/the-problem-with-white-veganism-f86c0341e2a2
https://atmos.earth/veganism-history-instagram-culture/
