22. Grandma and the mysterious killer whale

Sisoi is visiting his grandmother. Not far from grandma’s hut are killer whales (orcas) swimming. Grandma gets up and walks on the beach for a while. “What does grandma do?” Sisoi asks his parents. Gaméla turns her head briskly. Shhh, they all whisper at the same time.

Sisoi doesn’t quite understand why he can’t ask this question. Sisoi is a little sad because he misses his grandfather. Grandpa died half a year ago. He could joke with him. They often played games. Since the death of his grandfather, grandmother lives with the family of her eldest son, the brother of Sisoi’s father. A couple of times a year they meet for a family visit.

Grandma peers at the group of killer whales. Sisoi counts about twenty. One seems to separate himself from the group. He moves a bit in the direction of grandmother. She looks at the animal with interest. “They seem to know each other”, Sisoi thinks, but he doesn’t dare to ask the others about it.

Sisoi’s mother takes him apart. They walk away from the others so that they can talk quietly without anyone listening. “Come, I’ll explain. You remember when we were in mourning for the death of your grandfather, don’t you? Dad and his brother shaved the crown of their heads bald with a sharp mussel shell. We painted some black stripes on our faces with charcoal.” Sisoi nods; he still remembers. “Soon after that, we buried grandfather”, his mother continues. “Since then, we are not allowed to pronounce grandpa’s name and we will not visit his grave. All those actions cause us too much pain. That is why you shouldn’t ask the others about it anymore.”

“But what are grandma and the killer whale doing now?” Sisoi looks at his mother questioningly. She replies: “Killer whales can only be watched by older people. The killer whales listen to the older people. A killer whale is considered as a type of canoe which passes through the spirit, or soul, from another world. Although grandfather passed away, his soul still exists. Through this killer whale, grandmother has contact with grandfather’s soul. You don’t see it, because they have contact in a different, more spiritual way. The soul is called ‘kashpi’. Do you know that a dog also has a soul? Other animals don’t. Maybe it’s difficult for you to understand now, but when you grow up you will understand better”, she tries to reassure Sisoi.

Sisoi walks silently beside his mother. Both no longer look at the sea. Returning to the hut, he sets himself on a bed of moss. He keeps his head a little bended down. His thoughts go back in time, to a cozy afternoon when he was sitting next to his grandfather near the flickering fire…

In this video you see a man experiencing a very special encounter with a killer whale (orca).
In their language the Yahgans use the word ‘hainola’ to name a killer whale.
Did you know that when a killer whale sleeps, each half of his brain takes a turn to rest? You can find more on the Wikipedia page.
On the op Seaworld there is a map that clearly indicates where killer whales exist.
How would the story continue?
Would you like to continue writing on this story? Would you like to make a drawing or create a photo about this story? Send it to my e-mail and I will post it on your behalf on the website.
Would you like to know more? You can consult the ‘Yagán Martin Gusinde Museum Book’ or ‘Martin Gusinde Museum Publications‘ for in depth information.
Or continue reading. Next story: 23. Sisoi catches a strange fish