LA PUSH — Whales showed up at the Quileute’s ninth annual Whale Welcoming ceremony, the tribal council said.
Friday morning’s ceremony on the beach at the Quileute Tribal School drew some 200 tribal members and guests, the Quileute Tribal Council said in a statement.
An estimated five whales made an appearance, the council said.
“The whales showed up right on time,” said Christi Baron, editor of the Forks Forum.
The gray whales “were flipping their tales and were coming close and spouting,” she said.
“It was pretty impressive.”
Whale sounds were broadcast from loudspeakers during the ceremony, Baron said.
On Friday, children sang songs, elders offered a prayer song and high school students released a raft carrying a king salmon into the surf as an offering to the whales.
“We want to express our appreciation to the Quileute Tribal School and acknowledge our ancestors and elders for this significant tradition,” the tribal council said.
The Quileute stopped whaling in the early 20th century, but before then, the gray whale was an important provider of oil and meat.
Tribal tradition
Each March or April, when the gray whales passed by La Push on the Pacific Coast during their annual migration from winter calving lagoons in Baja Mexico to summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea, the Quileute would welcome them with songs and dances.
The forgotten tradition was revived nine years ago by Quileute Tribal School staff members and elders of the tribe.
The ceremony “gives our children the opportunity to share our culture,” said Chas Woodruff, Quileute Tribal Council chairman.
“We pay homage to our brethren the whale and welcome them back as our ancestors have done for thousands of years.”
After the ceremony on the beach, the celebration moved uphill to the A-Ka-Lat Center for food, stories and dancing.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
