SAMISH INDIAN NATION

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Samish donate to The Whale Museum

posted 03/08/02
Members of the Samish Indian Nation visited The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor last week to donate $1,000 and a framed poster of the orca that the tribe officially named last year.

In a traditional naming ceremony last October the Samish named the orca calf Hy'Shqa, which means "blessing" or "thank you" in the Coast Salish language. The tribe chose to name the whale because its mother is called Samish and because orcas have traditionally been considered members of the tribe. The orcas of the Southern Resident Community are given names as part of The Whale Museum's Orca Adoption Program.

Tribal members Dee Branson and Jan Flagg also donated a stack of Hy'Shqa posters to the museum to sell in its store. The tribe created the posters from a photograph of the calf with its mother by research associate Mark Sears.

Samish tribe to sue
for fishing rights in the San Juans

posted 12/12/01
Tribes' rights to fish in their usual and accustomed (U&A) fishing areas may turn out to be the driving force in protecting San Juan County's environment. The Samish tribe is filing suit in federal court to regain its fishing rights. U&As of eight tribes (nine if the Samish are successful) include all or part of San Juan County. At the Nov. 21, 2001 county Marine Resource Committee meeting, a Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) biologist explained the connection between fishing and environmental protection by quoting a court decision. "The most fundamental prerequisite to exercising the right to take fish is the existence of fish to be taken."

NWIFC biologist Fran Wilshusen said the tribes are concerned with the quality of water, and the sufficiency and suitability of spawning areas.

Terry Williams, Commissioner of Fisheries and Natural Resources for the Tulalip Tribes, also spoke to the MRC. According to the meeting minutes, he said, planting cedars and other trees on the bluffs would need to be done to reestablish the natural erosion rate in order to restore nearshore resource health. Sustainability is the tribes' long-term goal. Traditionally, while the tribes have taken, they have also always put back.

The Samish lost its fishing rights as a result of a 1979 ruling by U.S. District Judge George Boldt. He ruled the Samish were no longer a tribe. They were among five tribes stripped of their treaty rights. The tribe regained its federal status as a tribe in 1996 but has not regained its fishing rights. They hope a reexamination of Boldt's decision will restore their treaty rights.

Samish Indians name
orca calf in traditional ceremony

By Tracie Hornung

posted 10/12/01
A male calf born to a J Pod orca was officially named recently at a Samish Indian Nation naming ceremony. The board and staff of The Whale Museum attended the Anacortes event.

The tribe, which re-gained its federal recognition in 1996, chose to name the whale because the orca mother is called Samish and because orcas have traditionally been considered members of the tribe.

The calf's name is Hy'Shqa (pronounced Hyshka) and means "blessing" or "thank you" in the Coast Salish language. During the ceremony members of the tribe noted that, especially at this time with the orcas' future imperiled, the birth of this calf was a blessing and a reason for thanks.

Hy'Shqa will now be available for symbolic adoption in The Whale Museum's Orca Adoption Program. Whale researchers have identified the calf, born in January, as J-37. His mother, Samish, is also known as J-14.

Photo by Robin Jacobson, The Whale Museum.

Native youths dance while another carries a photo of the orca calf now named Hy'Shqa in a traditional Samish Indian naming ceremony in Anacortes.

Photo by Tracie Hornung, The Whale Museum.

The Swan Dancers perform during a traditional Samish Indian naming ceremony in Anacortes. A J Pod orca calf born last November was named Hy'Shqa.

Festivities at the ceremony included traditional dancing by native youths, singing of prayer songs, giving of gifts, and feasting. Among the honored guests were elders of the tribe who had worked to re-gain tribal status, Rep. Jeff Morris of the 40th Legislative District, and research associate Mark Sears who photographed the newborn calf.

For information on the Orca Adoption Program visit The Whale Museum's Web site or call 360.378.4710, ext. 24. To learn more about the Samish Indian Nation, see Samish Indian Nation Web site.