The Mowachaht/Muchalaht Whale Stand Off

• Tsu-xiit Incident: A young orca, seen by the Mowachaht/Muchalaht as embodying their chief's spirit, was slated for relocation by officials.

• Scientific Views: Western science saw the orca as exhibiting aberrant behavior; the tribe viewed it as a spiritual and natural occurrence.

• Conflict: A nine-day standoff ensued, ending tragically with the orca's death by a tugboat.

• Knowledge Construction: Different scientific worldviews led to a lack of dialogue among stakeholders.

• Media Coverage: Highlighted both the scientific outrage and the tribe's deep connection to the orca.

• Future Implications: Emphasizes the need for inclusive decision-making and integrating indigenous perspectives in similar situations.

  
  

These points underline the complexities of managing wildlife through the lens of differing cultural and scientific perspectives.

The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation of Canada lost its honored leader, Chief Maquinna shortly before the summer of 2001, at which time a young, lone orca appeared in remote waters off of the coast of British Columbia, taking up residence in the Gold River inlet, part of the traditional territory for the Mowachaht/Muchalaht.  Tsu-xiit, as the orca was called by the Tribe was said to embody the spirit of Chief Maquinna.  North American and Canadian officials however quickly intervened for the health and safety of the whale, and formulated a plan to remove L98 (a juvenile male orca, the 98th calf of Pod L) to the Puget Sound where its pod was living. (Norman, 2)  The event was a high profile one for the public, as well – the orca affectionately interacted with boaters and other people in the inlet and was christened “Luna” in the press.  When the Mowachaht/Muchalaht heard about the relocation plan, they organized a peaceful protest event to keep Tsu-xiit in the inlet.  Eventually, however, the whale was struck by a large tugboat and killed.

It was a nine-day standoff undertaken by the Mowachaht/Muchalaht against Federal authorities to keep Tsu-xiit from being penned.  Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation Member Tyee Ha’wilth Mike Maquinna outlined the position of the indigenous people saying, “All we are doing is the same thing we’ve been doing here for thousands of years; paddling our canoes and singing songs.  We have a very special connection with Tsu-xiit and we’re paddling in support of him.” (3)  Although the standoff ended tragically, there were some notable and forward-thinking lessons to be learned by all stakeholders in the incident that may inform people in similar incidents in the future so that everyone, including the orca, benefits.

According to Norman there were two prevailing scientific views regarding Tsu-xiit, one of Western science and another view from Native Science. (13)  In the view of Western science, the whale had been tagged and numbered, studied and analyzed, and was exhibiting aberrant behavior.  The solution to the aberrant behavior was to relocate the whale.  The tribe, however, view culture and nature as two sides of the same coin, and the whale, as an incarnation of Chief Maquinna, represented entirely this fusionism between their naturalist worldview and culture, it’s presence viewed not as an aberration but as a spiritual and natural occurrence.

The most important issue pervading this incident revolved around these different scientific approaches stakeholders took while formulating ideas about how to approach the situation.  The varieous scientific interpretations of the event contributed to the lack of dialogue between all of the stakeholders.  Western science saw Tsu-xiit as a wayward member of pod L that needed to be return to Puget Sound for his own safety.  Boaters and the public saw Luca as a curiosity and marvel swimming so far from his usual waters, the tribe considers Tsu-xiit to be the incarnation of their chief, an expression of their naturalistic worldview, and governments in Canada and the U.S. looked at the situation through the lens of marine resource management.  The case prompted the governments to reevaluate stakeholders in situations like the one with Txu-xiit, to include the indigenous people in all discussions so as not to “disregard those outside the dominant [power] structure.” (13)

With these competing scientific worldviews comes the activity of constructing knowledge.  In this way, knowledge is said to be socially constructed.  The scientific knowledge around orca whales is different for Western scientists than it is for the traditional healers and naturalists of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.  The standardization and wide acceptance of Western science causes it to carry more weight and power when an event like a stranded whale occurs. (13)  As Norman notes, the scientific management and oversight of Pacific Northwest whales is enormously comprehensive – every whale in the area is known back through the generations to the 1960’s at least. (11)  This investment of scientific resources drastically increases the power that regulatory agencies have over the management of these majestic mammals, even across international borders as was the case with Tsu-xiit.  The Mowachaht/Muchalaht had to mount a peaceful resistance to the government before it successfully herded the wayward whale into a cage for relocation, all while negotiating with other stakeholders on the side to change the outcome.

In the media, the activists and scientists were outraged and often quoted as saying that they demanded that the whale be relocated before it was accidently killed.  But by and large, the Mowachaht/Muchalaht  First Nation was also documented, with a short history of their connection to the whale a part of discussions in popular media.  In the Seattle PI, one of the scientists notes they had been interested in working out an agreement with the tribe for a “lead-out”, where the whale would be led by boaters back to Puget Sound instead of caged and hauled by truck.  Let’s hope with the experiences learned in this case that future stakeholders sit down and talk together to come up with similar, amicable solutions to mitigate such an unfortunate accident, and the disregarding of tribal voices in cultural matters like this one, in the future.

References

McClure, Robert. "Luna the Orca Killed by Tugboat." Seattlepi.com. Hearst Seattle Media, LLC, 10 Mar. 2006. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

Norman, Emma S. Luna / Tsu-xiit the “Whale”: Governance Across (Political and Cultural) Borders. Enduring Legacies: Native Case Studies. The Evergreen State College, 1 July 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.