White Wolf story, by Shannon Thunderbird

SHANNON THUNDERBIRD'S CLAN STORY (GISPUDWADA - BLACKFISH/ORCA)

A long way back, a very long way, way before recorded time, Gyibaaw Mootsk (White Wolf) stood contemplating his world. He was beautiful with glistening, satiny white fur that shone in both the sun and moonlight. There was much wisdom in his piercing green eyes. They reflected the power of the earth on which he walked, and his own inner knowing. He had wandered around the world searching for someone who looked just like him, but to no avail. It seemed he was the only one of his kind in existence. It made him very sad and lonely.

 

One day he met Noo Halidzocks (Mother Earth) sitting beside the big water. She was singing to herself in the evening twilight as the waves washed into the shore. Her voice was soft, yet seemed to carry far out across the water, into the trees, below the ground to the original home of the four great winds, the beautiful sounds flying on silver wings to the star nation. "~Looda lagyigyeda txa'nii yets'isga waaldi da lax yuup ada txa'nii goo ada luwaalm ts'm aks." (Respect all animals that live on land and all things that live in the sea).

She had built a small fire and its warmth penetrated her old bones as the flames danced in the breeze. O. tshawytscha (chinook salmon) had offered itself for her evening meal. She placed the skeleton back into the water in thanks, and to ensure they would return again the following year. Seeing Gyibaaw Mootsk standing nearby she invited him to come and share her meal. They talked awhile about, the beauty and power of the land, the Amgan (red cedar trees) that stood as stately guardians nearby. "It is a good place, my friend," said Noo Halidzoks.

 

"Yes, I guess it is." Replied  Gyibaaw Mootsk.

 

By this time, Culture Hero, Gaax (Raven) attracted by the smell of cooked salmon, had joined them. He dropped another fat salmon onto the fire as he invited himself for dinner. He settled down on a low Amgan branch, and looked curiously at Gyibaaw Mootsk.

   

 

"You are sad, 'nasiip'nsgu (my friend). Will you tell us why?" Delicately he nipped a choice piece of salmon out of the air tossed to him by Noo Halidzoks.

 

"Ah, Dzi'is (Grandmother), Gaax I am just very lonely."

 

"Why?" She asked.

 

"Well I have travelled everywhere, yet I've been unsuccessful in finding another like me. I am sad because I have no one to share things with."

 

"Well." Gaax fluffed his feathers. "I am also one of a kind, I rather like it, and I have lots of friends."

 

"I just think you are one of the most elegant of the four leggeds, but, I think I understand how you feel." Noo Halidzoks said quietly. "Go to sleep now, beautiful Gyibaaw Mootsk, Gaax and I will think on this awhile.

 

A few days later, the three of them gathered together again for a late dinner. "We have decided, Gyibaaw Mootsk that if you are this unhappy, you need to change. Therefore, you will be turned into a big, shiny, black dolphin."  As Gyibaaw Mootsk started to dance in anticipation, Noo Halidzoks raised a cautioning hand. "But," she said, "white markings will be painted on your sides to remind you that you used to live on land as a white wolf. Always remember and respect your four-legged relatives; acknowledge them when they come to visit. Dolphins travel in groups, like the wolves, protecting and teaching their young by singing to them. When dolphins surface to breathe, it is also a reminder of its origin." She smiled. "You will also have the responsibility of remembering and singing the history of your people.

 

With that, Gyibaaw Mootsk sank below the great water of the Pacific Ocean. All the other swimmers rushed over to welcome him to their midst. To this day when Gispudwada (Blackfish) begins its migratory path from Alaska to the warmer waters of the south Pacific, they stop to rest in a place called Puget Sound, near Seattle. They rise to the surface and call to their wolf relatives who come down to the shore to sing back. Pod and Pack then introduce to each other any babies that may have been born between visits.

And, this is why Gispudwada looks the way it does, uniquely, glisteningly, powerfully beautiful, with a voice that carries for long distances and holds the wisdom of the ages. Wilwilaaysk, All My Relations. Nii'sabbat, It is finished.

 

IMPORTANT NOTES:

 

--  --  "Killer Whale" is an incorrect and insulting term for one of the most magnificent creatures in nature.

2.    --  Orca/Blackfish is a Dolphin!

3.   -- Why would anyone want to have the Killer name as its principal identifier?

==-- Photos: Shannon Thunderbird as Mother Earth; Sandy Horne as Raven in their musical: "Daughter of the Copper Shield."