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| The relationship between humans and whales is constantly changing. Legends, myths and rituals associated with whales have originated from many cultures throughout the world, and whales are a part of the folklore of virtually every seafaring civilization.
The oral histories of northwest coast First Peoples tell of magic ancestors, some of whom were once whales. Magic whales traveled effortlessly through the oceans, often in the form of canoes, until they came ashore at a favoured spot. There they transformed into humans and founded villages. The human descendants of these magic whales pay tribute to them by depicting them in story, song, dance and art. Though coastal aboriginal people of British Columbia hunted some species of whales, they always revered and respected the spirit and majesty of the whale. British Columbia's First People never hunted Killer Whales, believing that the souls of de-parted noble chiefs and great hunters resided in them. But some mythic Killer Whales were malicious - they were changed into reefs and their dorsal fins, now hardened to rock, continue to threaten sea-faring folk. On the northwest coast of North America, Thunderbird, the most powerful of the supernatural animal beings, killed whales for food. Under the wings of Thunderbird were lightning-snakes that flashed out to kill a whale, which the Thunderbird then carried away and ate. A few people have seen Thunderbird's lofty eyrie, surrounded by piles of whale bones. The Nuxalk (Bella Coola) people have a story of a giant Killer Whale saving people from a great flood. When the world was young, the Nuxalk people were driven from their houses by a great flood. Some of the people fled to high ground on a hilltop near Bella Coola village to escape the flood, but the water kept rising and was soon threatening to overtake them. As the waters rose to the place where the people had taken refuge, a giant Killer Whale appeared. The people climbed inside the Killer Whale, which was as big as a house inside, and were cared for until the waters subsided. When the waters retreated, the Killer Whale returned the people to their homes. |
