Native American mythology has a very rich cultural
history of its own. To the Native American tribes of the Northwest
Coast, the Orca is an important medicine animal. They are known as a
symbol of power and strength, as well as longevity and romance for it is
believed that the Orcas mate for life. Not only do they symbolize
greatness but they are also regarded as the guardians and rulers of the
sea, as well as the best hunters of the sea, because of their mighty
size and power.
It is believed that Orcas are closely related
to humans, and when a human drowns the human is taken down by the Orcas
into their deep villages and transformed into an Orca. Some tribes also
believe that the Orcas will purposefully take down whole canoes to come
closer to their loved one. When an Orca is seen off shore, it is
considered a momentous omen and some believe it is a deceased human or
chief trying to communicate with their loved ones. Former chiefs lost at
sea are also believed to be reincarnated into Orcas.
In the documentary, The Whale,
a true story about a young orca named Luna, the Mowachaht/Muchalaht
First Nation tribe that resides on Vancouver Island talked about how
they believe that Luna is their old chief, Ambrose Maquinna who passed
away the week Luna appeared. Before Chief Maquinna passed away, he told
his friend Jerry Jack, “I’m 74! Getting closer to heaven! When I go
home, I’m going to come back as a kakawin [killer whale]”. When Luna
appeared, the First Nation tribe truly believed that it was Chief
Maquinna coming home and they started to call Luna by Chief Maquinna’s
nickname, Sukit. Not only did they believe Luna to be a reincarnation of
their old chief but that Luna was there for a specific reason and is on
a mission. Because the First Nation tribe regards orcas with the utmost
respect, particularly Luna in this documentary, and that they believe
Luna is their chief, they would put their life on the line to save and
protect Luna and any other orcas.
From the Tlingit tribe, there is the story of a
sea lion hunter and highly skilled carver named Natsilane. When he
married the daughter of the chief on Duke Island, he decided to live
among her people. Once we proved himself worthy, he was placed in honor
as an accomplished hunter and spear carver. Although Natsilane earned
his place within the tribe, all of his brothers-in-laws, except the
youngest, became jealous of him and began to plot against him. On the
day of the big hunt, Natsilane and his brothers paddled out to West
Devil Rock. When Natsilane jumped onto shore and threw his spear towards
the sea lion, he also noticed that his brothers started paddling away
and ended leaving him behind. The next morning, Natsilane woke to a sea
lion that looked that a man, beckoning to him to go down below the waves
into the Sea Lion’s home. At the house, he met the chief who asked
Natsilane if he could help his injured son. Seeing that the chief’s son
had his spear in his body, Natsilane removed the spear and healed the
son. With much gratefulness, the chief granted Natsilane with even
greater skills as well as his safe return to the village. Once he
returned to the village, he told his wife everything that happened and
asked her to keep his return a secret. To seek out revenge on his older
brothers, Natsilane created a whale out of wood which came to life and
swam out to sea. He called out to the whale and ordered him to find his
brothers, kill them and destroy their boat but speare the youngest. When
the whale found them, he destroyed the boat and drowned the oldest
brothers. The youngest brother made it safely back to the village and
told his story about the whale and his brothers’ death.
Whales experience membership in families not only in
the sense of Native American culture but also amongst themselves.
Granny, a member of the J-pod, and family
matriarch., broke a record that has never even been set before. Granny
is the oldest whale that has ever been recorded. She is still swimming
and splashing at the ripe age of 102. Granny still rules her pod and
watches after her great grandchildren as if she was a young mother
herself. Researchers have been lucky enough to document most of this
majestic whales life through photos and journal entries dating back to
the 1976. We are fortunate enough to see Granny frolic and swim through
the Puget Sound with her resident pod quite frequently.
Tilikum is a whale that is known mainly because of the
three deaths that he has caused. However us as humans maybe the reason
that this whale has come to do the actions that he has done. Compared to
Granny, Tilikum became more aggressive due to the captivity he was held
in, while Granny was free in the vast Pacific ocean, she expressed less
violent acts.
The difference between these two lives is vast and can
only be bridged through a concerted effort between Sea World and
conservationists. Tilikum’s days usually start with behaviors or better
known as tricks such as the rocket hop, or a bridge. This behavior is
reinforced with punishment training with fish or withheld food. This
would end up becoming the reason that Tilikum pulled in and killed
SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau. Granny’s however would start off with a
check of her loved ones and a search for
food in the wide open waters of the San Juan Islands. The contrast
between the two are stark even with the first morning activities. The
fact that there is a significant difference in the morning routine
proves that there needs to be changes. SeaWorld needs to work with
conservationist such as The Voice Of The Orcas or the Orca Project to
bring the orcas closer to home. We have all the programs in place to
bring whales like tilly home to pods like Granny’s, all we need is is
the effort from both sides.
Dimensions Of Sea World’s Pools
main pool 80 ft. x 165 ft. x 35 ft. deep
each side pool 120 ft. x 75 ft. x 15 ft. deep
medical pool 40 ft. x 25 ft. x 8 ft. deep
The home of the killer whale held in captivity can be
easily compared to living in a bathtub. Imagine being a creature who
swims up to 100 miles daily being forced to swim in circles for their
entire life. Whales were first captured to be put on display in the
1960’s, people were drawn to the intelligence, trainability, and
playfulness of Orcas. The habitat that orcas are forced to inhabit
rarely resembles their natural environment. As of August 2013 there are
45 whales held in captivity, 32 of which were born in captivity. When
this first began in the 1960’s the death rates and injuries were high
for the Killer Whale. By the 1970s marine parks learned how to breed the
whale by artificial insemination. Some whales have even been inbred
during this process.
The whales diet is also different in captivity
when compared to the wild. They would naturally consume about three to
four percent of their body weight each day. In captivity they are fed a
selection of fish and are given 140 to 240 pounds a day along with
vaccinations. Perhaps the biggest problem that faces whales in captivity
is stress. They are more likely to be aggressive and unpredictable
towards other whales and humans which has never been observed in the
wild. The aggression is most likely due to their limited environment,
chemically altered water, and awkward social groupings. Another major
issue is captivated killer whales have an average life expectancy of
only 20 years while whales in the wild live between 30 and 50 years and
sometimes up to 80 or 90. This is largely due to stress and bacterial
infections.
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