Alaska Native culture bearers bless Cook Inlet Fin Whale

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska Native Heritage Center staff gathered on the Cook Inlet mudflats on Monday to honor a whale that washed ashore over a week ago.

“We came here today to offer some prayers and ceremony to the whale that washed up,” Ben Baldwin, with the Alaska Native Heritage Center, said.

Baldwin was one of several staff who took part in the blessing ceremony for the nearly 50-foot fin whale.

“The reason that we’re here as Native people is to be respectful of all living things,” Marilyn Balluta, with the center, said. “This [the whale] is your non-human relative.”

During the ceremony, Baldwin performed both a prayer and a song for the whale. According to Baldwin, this was the first time he had done a blessing like this in front of a large crowd of people. Traditionally, he said he tends to do blessings like this when he is out hunting.

“I offered a prayer in smoke inside an abalone shell and that [shell] had plants from here, from the Cook Inlet basin,” Baldwin said. “It’s the medicine of the land that we’re offering to our non-human relatives from the land as well.”

According to Baldwin, whales are significant in the Alaska Native culture. Both for sustainability purposes and their spirituality.

“They’re very spiritually strong and they carry a lot of meaning,” Baldwin said. “And we felt that it was really important to offer a prayer as a community, offer it a final drink and make sure that we are interacting with our non-human relatives in a really good way.”

Monday’s blessing was also a somber moment for some people who gathered around the whale. Emily Edenshaw, the CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, shared how she struggled with seeing images surface that showed chunks of meat missing as well as its fin chopped off.

“I know for myself it was really hard to see the photos and to see the post, but understanding that this is an opportunity to apply what we’ve learned but also show our respect,” Edenshaw said.

It’s a similar feeling for Baldwin, who asks that people pay their respects when visiting the whale.

“It’s more than just flesh and bones, it’s spirit, it’s a relative and it should be respected,” he said.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.