Whaling on the Pacific Northwest Coast

Last updated
Shore whaling station in southeast Alaska, circa 1915 FMIB 49122 Shore whaling station in southeast Alaska.jpeg
Shore whaling station in southeast Alaska, circa 1915
1883 illustration. "Natives hunting the beluga or white whale, Cook's Inlet, Alaska." Beluga caza.jpg
1883 illustration. "Natives hunting the beluga or white whale, Cook's Inlet, Alaska."

Whaling on the Pacific Northwest Coast encompasses both aboriginal and commercial whaling from Washington State through British Columbia to Alaska. The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast have whaling traditions dating back millennia, and the hunting of cetaceans continues by Alaska Natives (mainly beluga and narwhal, but also the subsistence hunting of the bowhead whale) and to a lesser extent by the Makah people (gray whale).

Contents

In the twentieth century there was a commercial whaling industry, small by global standards, in British Columbia and south-east Alaska, as evidenced by place names such as Blubber Bay. When Coal Harbour closed its whaling station in the late 1960s, the industrial killing of whales in Pacific Canada was over. By that point, marine entrepreneurs had moved on to hunting orcas (killer whales) for live capture, to be displayed in aquaria. That lasted about a decade, until public pressure put an end to it in the mid-1970s.

As the twentieth century whaling stations existed in British Columbia and Alaska, and so are covered in more detail in the articles Whaling in Canada and Whaling in the United States respectively, some of the pre-contact hunting - and, for that matter, some of the orca captures too - took place across the waters of the two countries, so this article will deal with the whole coast.

History

18th-century Nootka whaler hat Sombrero de jefe de balleneros Nutka (M. America Inv.13570) 01.jpg
18th-century Nootka whaler hat

Indigenous whaling traditions along the Pacific Northwest coast date as far back as 4000 years BCE and are deeply intertwined with the culture of many pre-contact Indigenous peoples in these territories. [1]  

Amongst the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, Makah, and Ditidaht (also known as the whaling people) similarities in whale hunting practices can be found. [2]   Ethnographic evidence shows whaling was practiced amongst the Mowachat, Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Ucluelet, Tseshaht, Quileute, and Quinault. [3]  Evidence also connects pre-contact whaling practices to the Kwakwaka'wakw and Haida First Nations. [4]  Within each of these communities whaling has played an integral role in society, politics, and economy as well as cultural and spiritual activities. [5]  Whaling can be found in the oral histories, creation stories, music, and art of whaling peoples and as such has intimately impacted their governance and cultural identity. [6]

Traditions and rituals

Whaling holds a deep social and economic prestige for whaling First Nations and therefore could only be led by whaling chiefs. [7] The more successful hunts a whaling chief had, the more power and wealth the chief held. [8]  The whaling chief (haw'iih) and his wife (haquum) were required to perform special rituals and ceremonies, often months prior to the whale hunt. [9] [10]  It was believed that through the spirit world the haw'iih and haquum could connect to the whale, determining a successful hunt or not. [11] [7] [12]

Beginning in the early morning, the whaling chief would bathe four times, being sure to completely submerge himself each time. [12]  After each submersion the chief would then take bundles of various branches and nettles and rub them over his entire body. [13] [12] The chief would slowly and purposefully imitate a whale's actions and movements, rising to the surface and blowing water from his mouth towards the middle of the body of water he was bathing in. [12]  His wife held a rope tied around his waist, symbolic of the harpoon, and would sing a song to the spirit of the whale, telling it how they wanted it to act during the hunt. [13] [12]  The haw'iith and haquum were also required to practice abstinence during the ritual purification. [14] [12]  While the hunt was in progress the haquum remained in the home, lying still and moving as little as possible. [12]  It was believed that during the hunt the haquum's power was so strong she could transform into the whale. [13]

To take one example, Maquinna, chief of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Nootka Sound during the heyday of the maritime fur trade in the 1780s and 1790s, worshipped at the Yuquot Whalers Shrine, which was eventually sold to an ethnographic collector and now resides in New York's American Museum of Natural History. [15]  

After successfully harpooning a whale, a member from the crew would make two cuts along its fluke. [16]  This would then be followed by a fatal blow to the whale's heart. [16]  Once the animal was dead, it was necessary to sew the mouth closed to prevent the carcass from sinking. [16]  This was done by cutting a hole in the top lip and lower jaw and tying the mouth closed. [16]   Floats made of seal skins would then be attached to the whale and the crews would begin towing the carcass back to shore. [17]

Further ceremonies were held after a successful hunt in honour of the whale spirit that gave itself to the whaling chief and his people. [17] [18]

Distribution of whale resources

Once the carcass was ashore, butchering would begin, with the most prized piece of flesh, the whale's saddle (including the dorsal fin), being given to the whaling chief. [16]  After receiving their cut of meat and blubber, the whaling chief and his wife would return home and hang the saddle outside their house for oil extraction. [16]  The meat and blubber would be adorned with eagle feathers and down in order to honour the whale's sacrifice. [16]  The lines of the harpoon used to kill the whale were hung on two poles and more feathers along with the whale's eyes were placed next to the saddle. [16]  Following the first cut of the whale, the remaining meat was subsequently distributed among the whaling crews and remaining community members based on social standing. [19] [16]  For four days following the successful hunt, the whaling chief and his wife would host ceremonies giving thanks to the whale's spirit, culminating in a feast of the saddle for themselves and the crew. [16]

Whaling season began in early spring with the migration of the grey whales from their breeding ground in the Baja peninsula. [20]  Grey and humpback whales made up the majority of whales hunted along Pacific Northwest coast. [21]  

Well adapted to the natural environment, pre-contact whaling people's obtained three-quarters of their meat and oil from whales. [22] [1]   Whale oil was extremely high in nutrients and was extracted from the blubber, as well as, the bones. [19] [23]  Bones were also used to make tools and household objects, as well as in architecture and water irrigation. [19] [22]  Harpoon blades, made from sharpened mussel shells, were often adorned with whaling images. [24]  Harpoons were usually made from wood and had barbs made of bone or antler. [25] [17]   Pacific Northwest canoes were often 28–38 feet long, big enough to fit an eight-man whaling crew. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuu-chah-nulth</span> North American ethnic group

The Nuu-chah-nulth, also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifteen related tribes whose traditional home is on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makah</span> Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast

The Makah are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast living in Washington, in the northwestern part of the continental United States. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation, commonly known as the Makah Tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wakashan languages</span> Native American language family

Wakashan is a family of languages spoken in British Columbia around and on Vancouver Island, and in the northwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maquinna</span>

Maquinna was the chief of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Nootka Sound, during the heyday of the maritime fur trade in the 1780s and 1790s on the Pacific Northwest Coast. The name means "possessor of pebbles". His people are today known as the Mowachaht and reside today with their kin, the Muchalaht, at Gold River, British Columbia, Canada.

Nuu-chah-nulth, a.k.a.Nootka, is a Wakashan language in the Pacific Northwest of North America on the west coast of Vancouver Island, from Barkley Sound to Quatsino Sound in British Columbia by the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples. Nuu-chah-nulth is a Southern Wakashan language related to Nitinaht and Makah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makah Reservation</span> Indian reservation in Washington, US

Makah Reservation is an Indian reservation of the Makah Native Americans located on the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The northern boundary of the reservation is the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The western boundary is the Pacific Ocean. It has a land area of 121.451 square kilometres (46.892 sq mi) and a 2000 census resident population of 1,356 persons. Its largest community is Neah Bay.

The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations are a First Nations government on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations are a member nation of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which spans all Nuu-chah-nulth-aht peoples except for the Pacheedaht First Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ucluelet First Nation</span> First Nation in British Columbia

The Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government or Ucluelet First Nation is the modern treaty government of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council</span>

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council is a First Nations Tribal Council in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The organization is based in Port Alberni, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ehattesaht First Nation</span> First Nations government in British Columbia

The Ehattesaht First Nation is a First Nations government covering about 660 km2 on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in the British Columbia, Canada. It is a band that is one of the 14 Nuu-Chah-Nuulth Nations and is now a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. In the modern-day, there are currently only 539 registered members as of October 2021. with a language that has been lost over the years as the British Columbia government states that there are only 52 speakers of the language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huu-ay-aht First Nations</span> First Nations band government in British Columbia, Canada

The Huu-ay-aht First Nations is a First Nations based on Pachena Bay about 300 km (190 mi) northwest of Victoria, British Columbia on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in Canada. The traditional territories of the Huu-ay-aht make up the watershed of the Sarita River. The Huu-ay-aht is a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and is a member of the Maa-nulth Treaty Society. It completed and ratified its community constitution and ratified the Maa-nulth Treaty on 28 July 2007. The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia passed the Maa-nulth First Nations Final Agreement Act on Wednesday, 21 November 2007 and celebrated with the member-nations of the Maa-nulth Treaty Society that evening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toquaht First Nation</span> Modern Treaty Government

The Toquaht Nation is a modern treaty government located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Maa-nulth Treaty Society and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.

The Makah language is the indigenous language spoken by the Makah. Makah has not been spoken as a first language since 2002, when its last fluent native speaker died. However, it survives as a second language, and the Makah tribe is attempting to revive the language, including through preschool classes. The endonym for the Makah is qʷi·qʷi·diččaq.

The haietlik is a lightning spirit and legendary creature in the mythology of the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) people of the Canadian Pacific Northwest Coast. According to legend, the haietlik is both an ally and a weapon of the thunderbirds, employed by them in the hunting of whales. They are described as huge serpents with heads as sharp as a knife and tongues that shoot lightning bolts. A blow from a haietlik injures a whale enough that the hunting thunderbird can carry it away as prey. The haietlik is variously described as dwelling among the feathers of the thunderbirds to be unleashed with a flap of the wings, or inhabiting the inland coastal waters and lakes frequented by the Nuu-chah-nulth people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meares Island</span> Island in British Columbia, Canada

Meares Island is one of the many islands surrounding the Village of Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. Its name was given in 1862 by George Henry Richards, captain of HMS Hecate, in honor of John Meares. The island is located in the Clayoquot Sound region and is the location of Opitsat, the main village of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, and was the location of Fort Defiance, a short-lived American fur-trading post founded by Captain Robert Gray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opitsaht</span> First Nation community in British Columbiz

Opitsaht, spelled also as Opitsat and Opitsitah, is a First Nations settlement/community in the Southwest area of Meares Island, Clayoquot South, British Columbia. This peninsula-like region is the home to Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation. The Tla-o-qui-aht are an Indigenous group from the Pacific Northwest region in the lower Vancouver area, known for their lifestyle revolving around the marine life trade and culture within the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuquot Whalers' Shrine</span> Collection of carved figures previously serving as a Yuquot ritual site

The Yuquot Whalers' Shrine, previously located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, was a site of purification rituals, passed down through the family of a Yuquot chief. It contained a collection of 88 carved human figures, four carved whale figures, and sixteen human skulls. Since the early twentieth century, it has been in the possession of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, but is rarely displayed. Talks are underway regarding repatriation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Charles Stuart Strange</span> British politician (1753–1840)

James Charles Stuart Strange was a British officer of the East India Company, one of the first maritime fur traders, a banker, and a Member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drift whale</span> Whale that died at sea and floated to shore

A drift whale is a cetacean mammal that has died at sea and floated into shore. This is in contrast to a beached or stranded whale, which reaches land alive and may die there or regain safety in the ocean. Most cetaceans that die, from natural causes or predators, do not wind up on land; most die far offshore and sink deep to become novel ecological zones known as whale falls. Some species that wash ashore are scientifically dolphins, i.e. members of the family Delphinidae, but for ease of use, this article treats them all as "drift whales". For example, one species notorious for mass strandings is the pilot whale, also known as "blackfish", which is taxonomically a dolphin.

Whaling in Canada encompasses both aboriginal and commercial whaling, and has existed on all three Canadian oceans, Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic. The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast have whaling traditions dating back millennia, and the hunting of cetaceans continues by Inuit. By the late 20th century, watching whales was a more profitable enterprise than hunting them.

References

  1. 1 2 Coté, Charlotte (Charlotte June) (2010). Spirits of our whaling ancestors : revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions (1st ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 20. ISBN   9780295990460. OCLC   551719381.
  2. ↑ Monks, Gregory G.; McMillan, Alan D.; St. Claire, Denis E. (2001). "Nuu-Chah-Nulth Whaling: Archaeological Insights into Antiquity, Species Preferences, and Cultural Importance". Arctic Anthropology. 38 (1): 60.
  3. ↑ Monks, Gregory G.; McMillan, Alan D.; St. Claire, Denis E. (2001). "Nuu-Chah-Nulth Whaling: Archaeological Insights into Antiquity, Species Preferences, and Cultural Importance". Arctic Anthropology. 38 (1): 61.
  4. ↑ Monks, Gregory G.; McMillan, Alan D.; St. Claire, Denis E. (2001). "Nuu-Chah-Nulth Whaling: Archaeological Insights into Antiquity, Species Preferences, and Cultural Importance". Arctic Anthropology. 38 (1): 62.
  5. ↑ Coté, Charlotte (Charlotte June) (2010). Spirits of our whaling ancestors : revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions (1st ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 22. ISBN   9780295990460. OCLC   551719381.
  6. ↑ Coté, Charlotte (Charlotte June) (2010). Spirits of our whaling ancestors : revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions (1st ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 16. ISBN   9780295990460. OCLC   551719381.
  7. 1 2 Harkin, Michael (1998). "Whales, Chiefs, and Giants: An Exploration into Nuu-Chah-Nulth Political Thought". Ethnology. 37 (4): 318. doi:10.2307/3773785. JSTOR   3773785.
  8. ↑ Reid, Joshua L. (2015). The sea is my country : the maritime world of the Makahs, an indigenous borderlands people. Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 11. ISBN   9780300209907. OCLC   893896546.
  9. ↑ Arima, E. Y. (Eugene Yuji) (2011). The whaling people of the west coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery. Hoover, Alan L. (Rev. and updated ed.). Victoria: Royal BC Museum. pp. 29, 37. ISBN   9780772664914. OCLC   751635721.
  10. ↑ Coté, Charlotte (Charlotte June) (2010). Spirits of our whaling ancestors : revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions (1st ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 23. ISBN   9780295990460. OCLC   551719381.
  11. ↑ McMillan, Alan D. (2015). "Whales and Whalers in Nuu-Chah-Nulth Archaeology". BC Studies (187): 2 – via ProQuest.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Coté, Charlotte (Charlotte June) (2010). Spirits of our whaling ancestors : revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions (1st ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 26. ISBN   9780295990460. OCLC   551719381.
  13. 1 2 3 Arima, E. Y. (Eugene Yuji) (2011). The whaling people of the west coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery. Hoover, Alan L. (Rev. and updated ed.). Victoria: Royal BC Museum. p. 37. ISBN   9780772664914. OCLC   751635721.
  14. ↑ Harkin, Michael (1998). "Whales, Chiefs, and Giants: An Exploration into Nuu-Chah-Nulth Political Thought". Ethnology. 37 (4): 321. doi:10.2307/3773785. JSTOR   3773785.
  15. ↑ Inglis, Aldona Jonaitis; with research contributions by Richard (1999). The Yuquot whalers' shrine. Seattle [u.a.]: Univ. of Washington Press. ISBN   9780295978284.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Arima, E. Y. (Eugene Yuji) (2011). The whaling people of the west coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery. Hoover, Alan L. (Rev. and updated ed.). Victoria: Royal BC Museum. p. 41. ISBN   9780772664914. OCLC   751635721.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Coté, Charlotte (Charlotte June) (2010). Spirits of our whaling ancestors : revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions (1st ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 32. ISBN   9780295990460. OCLC   551719381.
  18. ↑ Arima, E. Y. (Eugene Yuji) (2011). The whaling people of the west coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery. Hoover, Alan L. (Rev. and updated ed.). Victoria: Royal BC Museum. p. 29. ISBN   9780772664914. OCLC   751635721.
  19. 1 2 3 McMillan, Alan D. (2015). "Whales and Whalers in Nuu-Chah-Nulth Archaeology". BC Studies (187): 4 – via ProQuest.
  20. ↑ Monks, Gregory G.; McMillan, Alan D.; St. Claire, Denis E. (2001). "Nuu-Chah-Nulth Whaling: Archaeological Insights into Antiquity, Species Preferences, and Cultural Importance". Arctic Anthropology. 38 (1): 70.
  21. ↑ Béland, Stephanie L.; McLeod, Brenna A.; Martin, Joe; Martin, Gisele M.; Darling, James D.; Frasier, Timothy R. (February 2018). "Species composition of First Nation whaling hunts in the Clayoquot Sound region of Vancouver Island as estimated through genetic analyses". Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 17: 236. doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.11.015. ISSN   2352-409X.
  22. 1 2 Coté, Charlotte (Charlotte June) (2010). Spirits of our whaling ancestors : revitalizing Makah and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions (1st ed.). Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 21. ISBN   9780295990460. OCLC   551719381.
  23. ↑ Huelsbeck, David R. (1988). "Whaling in the Precontact Economy of the Central Northwest Coast". Arctic Anthropology. 25 (1): 7.
  24. ↑ McMillan, Alan D. (2015). "Whales and Whalers in Nuu-Chah-Nulth Archaeology". BC Studies (187): 10 – via ProQuest.
  25. ↑ Arima, E. Y. (Eugene Yuji) (2011). The whaling people of the west coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery. Hoover, Alan L. (Rev. and updated ed.). Victoria: Royal BC Museum. pp. 38, 39. ISBN   9780772664914. OCLC   751635721.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.