LAPUSH — The Quileute will sing, dance and tell stories in honor of whales today.
The Whale Welcome will begin at 2 p.m. at First Beach in LaPush.
The celebration hails the return of gray whales as they migrate from their winter birthing grounds in Baja California, Mexico, to summer habitat in Alaska’s Bering Sea.
All whales honored
Although the event commemorates the gray whales’ annual migration, other types of whales will also be celebrated at the ceremony.
“They have offered us their wealth in giving us spirituality, being part of our ceremonies, and giving of themselves to nurture our body,” the Quileute Tribal Council said in a proclamation.
“We now proclaim this day and its events a day of honoring our kin, the whale.
“We will now begin the day with events that uplift our spiritual relationship with the grays, orcas, and other whales as they return, live, and swim to bless our waters and enhance us with good fortune throughout the year.”
Chris Morganroth III — a tribal elder and storyteller — will serve as master of ceremonies, said Jackie Jacobs, tribal spokeswoman.
A meal at the A-Ka-Lat Community Center will follow the ceremony.
The event is put on annually by the Quileute Tribal School, and children from the school will sing and dance.
Stories, drumming, dancing and singing will fill the ceremony, Jacobs said.
Any photography, whether for personal or professional use, must be preapproved by the Quileute Tribal Council.
Pod of whales
At the 2009 event, a pod of whales approached the beach as the group sent an offering of fish into the ocean.
Gray whales can weigh up to 40 tons and grow as long as 45 feet.
Mother whales with calves often roll just beyond the surf, while the males don’t get as close to the shore.
Mother whales usually begin to show up in early to mid-April, while the early whales start appearing off the beach a little sooner.
Gray whales feed primarily on bottom-dwelling organisms, taking in mouthfuls of sediment and sieving through it for their prey.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
