WAKING UP FROM DOMESTICATION
“Remembering Who They Are”
There is a story by Louise Erdrich in which she writes about one of the last buffalo hunts in the US that left 1,200 animals dead. After that hunt:
“The buffalo were taking leave of the earth and all they loved,” said the old chiefs and hunters after years had passed and they could tell what split their hearts. “The buffalo went crazy with grief to see the end of things. Like us, they saw the end of things and like many of us, many today, they did not care to live.”
(For the full story, click here: Buffalo Hunt Story Link)
This is a moment that can be recognized as the fundamental destruction of the integrity and soul of the buffalo herd. They were never the same. “The buffalo went crazy with grief to see the end of things”. Traumatized, in shock, their souls withdrew from their bodies. Even as they were physically surviving on earth, their offspring could not be the same, they were less buffalo, “lesser beings” to be overpowered, domesticated, to be abused and used.
“Lesser Beings” are life forms that have been traumatized/compromised to the point of being incapable of being the life forms they are meant to be. They have experienced an existential trauma that makes them ‘less of themselves.’It is my understanding that no cure or welfare measure will solve the problem, if the root cause of how ‘lesser beings’ are created is not acknowledged and understood.
Domestication: The Fundamental Betrayal of Trust
Domestication has provided us with power over nature. It will destroy us. Domestication is a centuries-long process of overpowering and controlling animals and nature for selfish reasons, generation after generation, destroying the natural trust that once existed between species.
The human rational mind has no problem recognizing and proving the inferiority of the traumatized life forms. They are all “Lesser Beings” without mind and soul. The result of this collective trauma affects every individual of that species, and it is handed down to the next generation through the collective memory and locked into the genes. This happens to all species we have domesticated. Example: Cows and buffaloes are reduced to production units for milk and meat. Animals have become commodities, property, production units. It is easy to see for everybody that they are “not the same as us”. Even their pain and agony are not acknowledged.
Marc Bekoff Ph.D. ( Animal Emotions) writes: “Domestication is one among several examples of collective trauma experienced by animals. We should include nonhumans among those who can suffer from collective encultured trauma and do all we can to coexist with them.”
See his article here: Domestication and Other Animal Traumas
Karuna’s Rescued Cattle and the “Wild Herd”
Karuna has rescued cows and buffalo since 2002. All cows, bulls, buffaloes, donkeys, horses and a camel that have come to Karuna have a right to life and will be protected and looked after for the rest of their lives. They are not isolated or tied up, they are free to live in the herd and go out grazing in the forest. Cows and buffaloes are free from milk production for profit and most of them are sterilized or castrated.
At present there is a separate group of 118 healthy cows and buffaloes at Karunapalli (the second compound, close to the forest), they are sterilized and castrated. They are taken out for grazing in the forest by our long-term attendants, whom they know. They are being fed during the summer drought. They have no other purpose than “being themselves, remembering who they are!”, overcoming the trauma of domestication. We call them “The Wild Herd”.
This is a very special project for Karuna as it is providing a safe haven for cows and buffalo to recover from centuries long trauma to their species – an effort from our side to restore the trust between species.
If you want to be part of this process of liberation and carry with us the responsibilities, please send a WhatsApp message to me on 0091- 9490360218 or contact us on karunasociety@gmail.com.
Warmly,
Clementien Pauws Koenegras
