Whitewater - Grind

The mountainous islands and harsh conditions of the Faroes are largely unfit for agriculture. There are no forests and not much wildlife here on the islands. Faroese mostly rely on what the sea gives, they put more of their food on the table with their own hands.

Pilot whales are driven into shallow bays where they are beached and killed. After the whales are slaughtered and pulled to the shore, the community comes together to document and divide the harvest.

Despite the claims of sustainable practice, the brutality of Grind remains a controversy casting a bloody shadow over the Faroe Islands. People feel that the urban way of morality is being imposed upon them. The external pressure seems to be counterproductive though. Young men now fearlessly defend the once-dying practice, taking pride in preserving their cultural heritage.

Chaos unfolds
A tale untold
With every stroke
They let the grind
Guide them to the end

Pilot whale consumption has been a part of their culture for over twelve hundred years. The islands are some of the most remote in the world, and as such, have remained largely unchanged by time and uninfluenced by modern societies.

However, the Faroe Islands are paying a price for the human pollution of the seas. It has been proven that pilot whale meat contains high levels of mercury and persistent organic pollutants that affect humans' intellectual and neurological development. It's not food anymore, period.

That being said, how can we reprimand and shame the Faroese for animal cruelty when the majority of those pointing the finger live a lifestyle which contributes to the sea pollution in the first place?

Chaos unfolds
A tale untold
With every stroke
They let the grind
Guide them to the end