Seeking the Sacred Raven: Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island

By Pritchard, James

Seeking the Sacred Raven: Politics and Extinction on a Hawaiian Island. By Mark Jerome Walters. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2006. 293 pp. Illustrations and index. Cloth $24.95. Native Hawaiians believed that when people died, their soul proceeded to a high cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a “Leaping Place,” where an ‘aumakua (protective spirit guide) joined them for their journey. The Hawaiian crow (Corvus Hawaiiensis), or ‘alala, served in this essential capacity. Journalism professor Mark Walters presents a compelling story of the disappearance of the ‘alala from the wild, a tale replete with human foibles and scientific uncertainties. He presents a haunting question: In its hour of need, who would serve as the protector of the sacred raven?

The ‘alala’s name reflects its vocalizations, which are more varied and melodic than other crows or ravens. Walters adroitly introduces readers to the natural history of the ‘alala, as well as the biology of invasive species and extirpation. Historically, the ‘alala flocked in great numbers, tremendously social and curious about humans. Aboriginal use of great numbers of bird feathers for adornment and ceremony raises questions regarding prehistorical impacts. Easier to document are how cattle, feral pigs, and logging changed forest ecosystems to the detriment of native species, while introduced rats and mongooses preyed on fledgling birds.

Throughout the drama of a withering population, each actor believed they were the birds’ best friend, yet no party emerges as heroic. Cattle ranchers felt protective of both the ‘alala and private property, suspecting that scientists were more interested in research grants than helping the bird. The Hawaii Audubon Society agressively pressed ranchers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state wildlife personnel, exacerbating tensions. Scientists, nonprofits, and state natural resource agencies expressed the best intentions, but displayed enough incompetence to receive less than excellent marks in this accounting. Efforts to breed the birds in captivity failed until the program hired an avian culturalist who captured eggs rather than reproducing birds, whereupon the captive flock grew to fifty by 2006. Despite increasing numbers in captivity, these birds were losing essential learned social behaviors, for instance, how to avoid predatory hawks.

In 1972, ornithologist Win Banko warned that “Midnight for the Hawaiian crow … is not far off” (p. 247). The failure to secure and protect habitat remained a fundamental stumbling block. Walters makes engaging connections between native culture and the land, both becoming fragmented and displaced in modern times. Genealogy for Hawaiians comprised a “web of meaning” that provided a path to ancestors as well as the ‘alala (p. 222). In 2002, a federal wildlife biologist sighted the last remaining pair of Hawaiian crows in the wild. In a single rancher’s lifetime, the ‘alala’s population declined from numerous to extirpated in the wild.

In the end it’s a gloomy tale, but Walters’ fair treatment, thoughtful insights, and fine writing create a fascinating account for anyone interested in the history of wildlife conservation. Historians will find the author’s artful integration of culture, the past and present, science, and the politics of conservation into a seamless and compelling narrative quite elegant. Seeking the Sacred Raven is an excellent contribution to the literature surrounding endangered species.

James Pritchard teaches at Iowa State University, is the author ofPreserving Yellowstone’s Natural Conditions: Science and the Perception of Nature (University Nebraska Press, 1999), and the coauthor, with Diane M. Debinski, of A Field Guide to Butterflies of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Roberts Rinehart, 2002).

Copyright Environmental History Jul 2007

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