A large pod of orca whales surrounded a Washington state ferry this week as it carried ancient artifacts to a new museum at the ancestral home of Chief Seattle.
According to the Orca Network, a whale tracking organization, the Orcas were spotted surrounding the ferry in Puget Sound.
Watchers say nearly three dozen orcas surrounded the ferry as it traveled from Seattle to the terminal on Bainbridge Island. The ferry was moving the artifacts to the Suquamish Museum.
The artifacts were dug up nearly 60 years ago, they were discovered on the site of the Old Man House in Kitsap County, the winter village for the Suquamish tribe and home of Chief Sealth, also known as Chief Seattle.
Traveling with the ancient artifacts was Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman. The tribal chairman tells The Seattle Times, “They were pretty happily splashing around, flipping their tails in the water. We believe they were welcoming the artifacts home as they made their way back from Seattle, back to the reservation.”
Killer whales appear in the area around this time of the year as they chase a large run of chum salmon.
Forsman continues, “We believe the orcas took a little break from their fishing to swim by the ferry, to basically put a blessing on what we were on that day.”
His tribe are known for their fishing skills, just like the Orca Whales that accompanied their artifacts.
The artifacts, of which there were nearly 500, had been sitting in The Burke Museum since their discover 60 years ago.
The ancient items include tools, decorative items and bits of bone and rock that date back 2,000 years.
Onlookers not associated with the tribe also observed the Orca Whales and called their travel with the ferry “uncanny.”
Do you think this was a case of coincidence or something more special?