WHALE ROCK

This past July, I enjoyed a holiday with my boys in our ancestral fishing grounds. We were on a fishing trip to collect our winter supply of sockeye, my favorite of all the Pacific Salmon. On the journey, we experienced many wonderful things. Our ship was the Western Spirit which belongs to a childhood friend from Kitkatla. Along the way, we saw eagles, humback whales, porpoises, deer, halibut, sockeye, skate, red snapper and the mighty sealion. We played on white sand beaches and climbed through the Coastal forest, and listened to wolves howling in the twilight of warm Summer evenings. One of the more memorable places we went to was the rock that looks like a killer whale frozen in time. This Whale of Stone is a sight I have enjoyed many times and was once again reminded of the story attached to the rock. In years gone by, our ancestors took girls who were entering into puberty and isolated them on a nearby island. The girls were accompanied by older women who taught them of this most important change in their lives. The responsibilities of
motherhood were taught by mentors from the clan. One of the rules during this time was that the participants were not permitted to look outside for a short period of time. Many years ago, one maiden broke the rule of looking outside of the longhouse. She heard the sound of whales as they swam near the island. When the young lady looked to see the whales, one of them was turned into stone. This Whale Rock formation can still be seen today just off one of the islands near our Summer fishing grounds. This was a timely event and the story was an appropriate one to share with my thirteen year old son. So I enjoyed a father and sons holiday and a chance to share the land of their ancestors as well as one of the legends from the people of Kitkalta. I have no doubt that the incredible sight of the Whale of Stone will always be remembered along with the beautiful sunsets of Summer on the Northwest Coast.