Five Finned Whale - Remarque #1/10

We know that this legend has been passed down through the mists of time and has been told from generation to generation in story, song, and dance. It has its origin with the Owikeeno people from a place we know as KIDEET. Today, this village is called Owikeeno and is situated at the head of Rivers Inlet.

This is the birthplace of my Chieftainship, Tlagwigila, more commonly spelled Tlakwakila, which means Copperman. Tlakwakila is from the house of WAKAS, and my adopted family, the Walkus family, still carries their original name as a family name to this day.Walkus is one of the few names that survived the census takers, who were given power by the government to change people's names in the event that they were too hard to spell in English.

So this is the background for the story which tells of four whales hunting up in the inlet known asWanuk when a large landslide occurred. One of the whale hunters was trapped by the slide, which formed what is known as Qausas Wanukv or Owikeeno Lake. The dead whales body formed an island with it’s head facing towards the inlet. This island, known as Smokehouse Island today, is where the five houses originated from, Newakawa. The sons of Newakawa are, my brother, Haitlamas, the healer, the next brother is Newmas Kas, then came, Ookwaliis, and, Tsigsiwallace. The four sons make up four of the five fins, the fifth fin being the fin of the whale itself.

There is a well-known design, done in many variations by artists throughout the generations, showing the five-finned whale holding up the roof of a house from which came all the families and descendants who live today. This story of the five-finned whale will stand through the ages as a testimony to the origins of the people we know today as the Owikeeno.

This story was related to me by Hemas Newakawa, otherwise known as Evelyn Windsor, my aunt.

Thank you to my brother, Ted Walkus, who inspired me to put this down on paper.