Naming and Renaming

So out of the ground God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the human to see what he would call them; and whatever the human called each living creature, that was its name. ~Genesis 2:19

A whole lot of birds will soon get new names. Some of the changes have already started. That Herring Gull looking for a chance to snag some of your fries is now an American Herring Gull and that House Wren that sang in your garden this summer is now a Northern House Wren. The reason for these changes are what birders call splits. The Herring Gulls in different parts of the world have been found to be different species so they will now be named for their geography. Likewise, the House Wrens in South America are a different species than the ones in our neighborhoods. Sadly, the scientist are now saying that Hoary, Common, and Lesser Redpolls are actually a single species, which will simply go by Redpoll, meaning I lose one species off my life list.

But the changes that are promised, but have not yet happened involves the removing of human names. There is some controversy around this. On the one hand, while some are celebrating the removing of names of slave-holders and others of some suspect behavior, others see it as political correctness gone too far. And to be fair, Bonaparte’s Gulls are not named for Napoleon but rather his nephew Charles Lucien, who was a noted ornithologist. But he was not the first taxonomist to describe the bird, but even if it were more appropriately named Ord’s Gull, the name would still be changing. I have to say that I welcome the change. For one thing, it should lead to more helpful names that describe the bird or its habitat. Maybe this one will be Small Gull, or Lesser Hooded Gull, or something else helpful. I’d love to see the trend continue and rename Connecticut Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo, not because there is a problem with those specific places, just that finding those species in those places is challenging for each of them. They all just happened to be first describe from an individual passing through those locations. And I won’t be holding my breath, but I’d be thrilled if Red-bellied Woodpeckers were renamed for some field mark that can actually be seen regularly in the field. But I digress.

Taking human names out of the system for identifying species is more than removing troubling and undeserved honors, it is also a recognition of a more proper relationship with our more-than-human kin. In the second creation myth, God brings each creature before Adam who provides a name for each. The first human did this through observation and understanding, that is, through relationship. That relationship was not one of superior and inferior, not even of predator and prey. The relationship was respectful, even arguably mutual. The role Adam is given is caretaker. If you are going to look after these others, you need to get to know them, find affection for them. The divine plan for humanity from the beginning, we are told, was not for us to possess creation, but to tend it.

Prayer: Creator, as we attempt to reboot our relationship with creation, keep steering us toward your design. Amen.