The Whale…

This interchange between non Tribal People and whale, depicts in the best example of the mutual respect and compassion that we as Native People have had the privilege to share with our relatives in the wilds of this world. We hope this story serves as a humbling, and honored experience among all those that lived it and those of us reading about it. The spirit and freedom of this whale’s struggle and survival should live in each of us.

Inter-Tribal Water Commission Board

The Whale…

As posted in Snopes.com: http://bit.ly/g1D3nd

A front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same. May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.