Whale Got Stranded in Oregon, a Native Community Turned the Tragedy Into a Revival of a Traditional Practice

[riversedge]

It seems they tried there best to get the whale back into the water.



Whale Got Stranded in Oregon, a Native Community Turned the Tragedy Into a Revival of a Traditional Practice

Members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians salvaged a beached whale’s remains, a practice that hadn’t been performed in generations

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-a-humback-whale-got-stranded-in-oregon-a-native-community-turned-the-tragedy-into-a-revival-of-a-traditional-practice-180987812/?is_pocket=1&utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us



Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent December 9, 2025 9:57 a.m.

Experts spent two days trying to save the whale, which weighed roughly 20,000 pounds. West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network

For the first time in generations, an Indigenous tribe in Oregon has harvested a whale, turning a tragedy into an opportunity to revive a traditional cultural practice.

Whale Got Stranded in Oregon, a Native Community Turned the Tragedy Into a Revival of a Traditional Practice
Members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians salvaged a beached whale’s remains, a practice that hadn’t been performed in generations

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/w...

— (@oceancalm.bsky.social) 2025-12-10T02:38:26.466Z

Link to tweet

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[Bayard]

1. Although my heart hurts for the whale,

I have no problem with it being utilized in this way. I just wish they could have saved the meat.

[PufPuf23]

2. "Those in charge will remember what not to do"

Good use of aboriginal knowledge.

Oregon Department of Transportation learned a lesson over 50 years ago of what not to do.

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