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Articles in "The Dorsal Spin"

Sooke (L112)

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

Last February, we mourned the loss of Ruffles (J1), the eldest Southern Resident male orca. This February we mourn for departed youngsters. Precious little female Sooke (L112), 2009 – 2012, stranded at Long Beach, WA on February 11 and the new calf in J Pod, J48, is missing and probably dead.

Canoes of Spirit

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

Chez VHP is recovering from a New Year’s Day medical emergency, so I am revisiting an earlier column that proved popular with my dear readers.

"Killer whales are the canoes of spirits, and if shamans are lucky, they get these spirit canoes." A Sitka villager uttered these profound words a century ago to the ethnographer James Swanton. To us (Odin and Orca Annie), killer whales are sacred. Life with orcas rejuvenates our bond with the Divine.

Support Your Vashon Whale Geeks

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

At Loop deadline, orcas have been absent from Vashon–Maury waters in October 2011. Before Seattle media outlets declare prematurely that the Southern Residents have returned to lower Puget Sound, they should do some good, old-fashioned fact-checking.

Southern Residents visited Island waters just twice in October 2010. November arrival would be well within normal limits.

 

Sweetgrass Trail

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

"Sweetgrass Trail: An Emerging Artist’s Journey" is the title of Odin Lonning’s October show at Heron’s Nest on Vashon. Odin, a Tlingit artist and cultural educator, is renowned for his traditional Northwest Coast Native designing, carving, and painting. His "Sweetgrass Trail" show is a departure in that several pieces pay tribute to the formative stage of his career, when he traveled across the United States. The artist will be at Heron’s Nest on First Friday, October 7, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM.

Definition of Dorsal Fin

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

An orca encounter ranks high on the list of healing events we could hope for on any anniversary of 9/11. We were blessed with one this year, from some old finned friends. Chez VHP was observing the reading of the names at Ground Zero, Shanksville, and the Pentagon when the welcome sighting calls started. 

Art for Fins and Flippers

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

This column was on hiatus for a bit while Chez VHP dealt with what Jon Stewart cleverly dubs "the bubons," and we traveled to several off-Island gigs such as the OrcaSing on San Juan Island and another fabulous event at the Evergreen State College Longhouse. At both places, we memorialized our beloved orca patriarch Ruffles (J1). How fortunate we could sing his praises twice in the Longhouse this year!

Ethereal Native Art

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

Dear readers, your eyes will thank you for checking out Odin Lonning’s supernatural-themed Tlingit artwork at Vashon Intuitive Arts this month. Titles such as “Shaman’s Wand,” “Spirit Canoe,” and, of course, “Supernatural Allies: Thunderbird and Seawolf,”reflect the essence of the pieces.

Ruffles in the Longhouse

Orca Annie Stateler, VHP Coordinator

“Honey, there’s a whale in the yard! Grab the camera,” I shouted to Odin around 7:30 on Sunday night, March 27. A juvenile Gray whale glided sideways, barely 10 feet off our beach, waving tail flukes and a pec flipper. S/he had eelgrass draped over the pec flipper, suggesting s/he was bottom foraging in shallow water for tasty tidbits: crustaceans, worms, et al.