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Beauty and the Enchanted Beast: The Narwhal ("Monodon monoceros") in the Canadian Cultural Landscape
美女與魔獸：加拿大文化地景中的獨角鯨（一角鯨）
摘要
獨角鯨，又稱作一角鯨（Monodon monoceros），是一種具有顯著螺旋角的北極鯨，也是許多原民傳說和中古世紀傳期的主題。此種動物的「角」，或長牙，其實是一顆牙齒，在雄性鯨身上可長到九英呎，極少出現在雌性鯨。報導指出，北極溫度的上升衝擊這種北半球特殊海洋物種的原始居住環境，同時也指出某些北方國家過度獵捕的情況。獨角鯨的獵捕有著歷史、經濟、精神與文化上的連結，無論是原住民或者非原住民都與其相關。在加拿大的文化地景中，獨角鯨也成為西北行政區與努勒維特盾形圖章的顯著特色。這種描繪物種的象徵性圖章結合了具感性訴求的地域認同，並引起民族驕傲與連結感。因此，若要探求獨角鯨的象徵意義如何為政策制定者顯示出大眾對此物種的理解，也必須考慮有哪些特定的科學研究以及教育課程在確保獨角鯨的保育方面是不可或缺的。
並列摘要
The narwhal ( ”Monodon monoceros” ), is an Arctic whale with an eye-catching spiralled horn which is the subject of indigenous folklore and medieval legends. This animal's 'horn', or tusk, is in fact a tooth that grows to lengths upward of 9ft in males, and very rarely in females (Silverman and Dunbar, 1980; WWF, 2011). The rising temperatures in the Arctic are reported to be impacting the primary habitat of this specific marine species of the Northern hemisphere (Boswell, 2010), and there have been accounts that it is being overfished in certain Northern communities. There are historical, economic, spiritual and cultural ties related to the narwhal hunt which involve both indigenous and non-indigenous populations. The narwhal is featured prominently in the Canadian cultural landscape on both the coat of arms for the Northwest Territories (1956) and Nunavut (1999). In combining sentimental appeal with regional identity, an emblematic device that depicts a species gives rise to a sense of pride and connection. There is relevance in understanding the nature of the symbolic ascription of the narwhal as this information offers policymakers clarity on the public's perception of the species and what specific scientific research and educational programs are necessary to ensure its conservation.