Non-Human Whalers in Nuu-chah-nulth Art and Ritual
Reappraising Orca in Archaeological Context
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6044980 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alan D Mcmillan (0000-0001-6085-0144, Simon Fraser University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 309-326 |
| Publication date | 2019-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cambridge Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-7743 • E-ISSN: 1474-0540 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0959774318000549 |
| OpenAlex | W2913119089 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 24 |
Whaling was a central aspect of Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht and Makah culture on the northwest coast of North America. Not only was it economically important, it was vital to chiefly prestige. Art and ceremonial life were dominated by themes related to whaling. Thunderbird, the great supernatural whaler, was the source of hereditary prerogatives held by chiefs, including names, dances, regalia and rights to display images of thunderbird and whale. This paper argues that human observations of predatory behaviour by orcas (or killer whales) led to these animals also being perceived as non-human whalers from which chiefly prerogatives could be obtained. Wolves, the main figures in Nuu-chah-nulth ceremonial life, had the power to transform into orcas, explaining their frequent presence in the art with thunderbirds and whales. This paper presents archaeological evidence for orca in the context of whaling and offers interpretations based on the extensive ethnographic and oral historical records. It also places perceptions of animals, the role of the hunter's wife and beliefs about orca in a broader context involving hunting societies in northwestern North America
Archaeology · Ethnology · Fishery · Geography · Sociology · Whale · Whaling · Anthropology · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · History · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Marine animal studies overview
General Introduction
Whaling and the Indigenous Rights of the Nuu-chah-nulth People on the Northwest Coast of North America
Endowment, investment, and the transforming coast
Native American use of cetaceans in pre-contact Oregon
Snorkelling with orcas (killer whales) in Skjervøy, Northern Norway
Domestic dogs and wild canids on the Northwest Coast of North America
The Eskimo about Bering strait
Soul HuntersHunting, Animism, and Personhood among the Siberian Yukaghirs
A Tale of Two Ethnographies
Species composition of First Nation whaling hunts in the Clayoquot Sound region of Vancouver Island as estimated through genetic analyses
Songs of the Nootka Indians of Western Vancouver Island
The Indians of Cape Flattery, at the entrance to the Strait of Fuca, Washington Territory
Native Accounts of Nootka Ethnography
Navigating the human-animal divide
Bringing home animals
Animals as Agents
Animism as a Means of Exploring Archaeological Fishing Structures on Willapa Bay, Washington, USA
Indian Petroglyphs of the Pacific Northwest
The Tlingit Indians
Indian Art Traditions of the Northwest Coast
Nootka and Quileute Music
Nootka Texts
Whales, Chiefs, and Giants
Archaeology and Animal Persons
The gift in the animal
The Alaskan Whale Cult and Its Affinities
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2025 (6) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |