esa/wk7uuQwit kakawin
(respect killer whale)
First
Nations Tsuxiit Website
Muchalaht Stewardship pdf
"The community affirmed their spiritual and cultural ties to Tsuxiit and resolved that the whale be treated with the greatest of respect in all aspects of its life and our life"
"For us there is a spiritual significance to it all," said Maquinna."Throughout our culture the whale and the wolf are very prominent mammals and animals in our teachings."
"It is unacceptable to the Muchalaht people that Tsuxiit be incarcerated in an aquarium if the experimental relocation fails"
"There is a power of the whale that has been offered to us," Maquinna said. "It is a story that needs to be told."
"We have consistently told people to remember to have high respect for the whale," Maquinna said.
Maquinnas' people first encountered the killer whale swimming alone in Nootka Sound the day after their elder chief, Ambrose Maquinna, died. He was Mike Maquinnas' father and one in an ancient line chiefs. Before his death, the chief expressed his desire to return to his people as a kaka win, or killer whale, a supernatural being of great significance to native people in both Canada and the United States. Killer whales are the enforcers of the natural laws of the sea, just as wolves are the enforcers on land, according to a written explanation issued by the Muchalaht community.
During August of 2003 - the waters busiest times, the stewardship project worked with first nations at the boat ramp. They documented boats entering and leaving the boat ramp, taking numbers and educating about luna. Hand outs were given to those leaving the waters so that they knew how to navigate around luna.
