What the whale was : orca cultural histories in British Columbia since 1964 ...

• Main Author: Werner, Mark T.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Subjects: Killer Whale; Orca; Killer whale
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0071537; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0071537

My thesis argues that indigenous historical narratives demonstrate an understanding of the killer whale subjectivity that settler society is only beginning to comprehend. Set in the late 20th century, a period when human relationships with killer whales were undergoing a fast-paced reconfiguration, my research explores the spaces of orca-human encounter in regards to three killer whales: Moby Doll, the world’s first orca held in captivity; Skana, the first orca showcased at the Vancouver Aquarium; and Luna, the orphaned orca of Nootka Sound. Each example speaks to the common process by which humans project culturally-specific narratives and beliefs onto the lives of the whales. In the case of Moby Doll, I argue that the dominant discourse regarding the whale conformed to a strict gender script that functioned to silence other narratives and realities of Moby’s captivity. In my following chapter, I look at how the close relationship between Paul Spong and Skana inspired the scientist to abandon his most ...