Impressions of killer whales held by two Northwest Coast Indian groups Resident-and transient-type killers whales in British Columbia

The Northwest Coast Indians living along the Pacific Coast from Southeastern Alaska, British Columbia to Washington,are hunters-gatherers who traditionally depended greatly upon marine resources for food. Indians of this area categorised killer whales (Orcinus Orca) into two types, resident killer whales and transient killer whales. Resident killer whales range in Discovery Passage during the summer, and eat fish there. Discovery Passages corresponds to the summer range of resident killer whales, “tribal” boundaries, as well as watershed and tree community boundaries. Transient killer whales, eating primarily marine mammals, are observed on the Pacific (west) west side of Vancourver Island. In this paper, I will compare observations of people on the east-side of Vancouver Island with those of people on the west-side of Vancouver Island. The Kwakwaka'wakw people live along Discovery passage, on the east-side of Vancouver Island and the main land. They observe resident killer whales every summer. Transient killer whales sometimes pass through Discovery Pass, and are considered as gods of longevity for Kwakwaka'wakw. The Nuu-chah-nulth People live along Pacific, or west-side of Vancouver Island. They observe transient killer whales throughout the year, and resident killer whales during the summer. They were a whaling people hunting grey whales in the Pacific. Transient killer whales catch small marine mammals in both Discovery Passage and the Pacific. But they catch whales only in the Pacific. Wolves, a special category among all animals for Nuu-chah-nulth people, are believed to be killer whales that emerged from the sea to live on the land. The impression held by peoples of the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island differ because: 1.The different types of killer whales (resident and transient) observed. 2.The Kwakwaka'waku are primarily salmon fishers with whom the killer whales compete, while the Nuu-chag-nulth are whalers. The Kwakwaka'waku are salmon fishers who depend largely upon the late summer to fall salmon run in the Discovery Passage. Resident killer whales also congregate in the Discovery passage at the same time to eat salmon. The Nuu-chag-nulth also are fishers but depend more on large whales. Thus, both humans, the most powerful land-based predators, and killer whales, the most powerful aquatic predators, both depend upon marine resources. In other words, both humans and killer whales take food from the ocean on the east and west sides of Vancouver Island.

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