Beach's whale of a tale
Adam Beach Stars in CTV Original Movie--Luna: Spirit of the WhaleAcclaimed actor Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers, Law & Order: SVU) stars in the poignant CTV Original Movie Luna: Spirit of the Whale, premiering on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13. Inspired by the true story of Luna, an orca whale who received international attention when he appeared in the harbour of a small aboriginal village off Vancouver Island in 2001, Luna: Spirit of the Whale premieres in Toronto this week at the Sprockets International Film Festival. Shot entirely in British Columbia, the movie for all ages also stars Graham Greene (Spirit Bear, Transamerica), Tantoo Cardinal (Unnatural and Accidental, Indian Summer: The Oka Crisis) and Jason Priestley (Shades of Black, Beverly Hills 90210).
Luna: Spirit of the Whale dramatizes the plight of a lone orca whale and how he impacts the life of a man searching for his place in the world. When Mike Maquinna (Adam Beach) comes home to his estranged father’s funeral, a stray orca named Luna suddenly appears in the village harbour. Like his father and grandfather before him, Mike is destined to become Chief of his village, but it’s a task he feels would be better handled by a more suitable elder (Graham Greene). Mike’s people, the Mowachaht-Muchalaht, along with his mother Gloria (Tantoo Cardinal), believe that Luna is the embodied spirit of his late father, who has come to be Mike’s spiritual guide. But Mike, a man separated from his culture, is disbelieving.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeletewriterfella can see the T-shirts now: FREE LUNA!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I understand the spiritual implications of what happened with Luna, but I've always wondered why there didn't seem to be a reason that Luna could not be returned to his orca family to grow up after he appeared, like Springer was (in fact one of the directors of the Whale Museum stated to me that he wanted us to *keep* Springer until the Canadian government returned Luna).
ReplyDeleteWas there a spiritual requirement that he stay there until he died, and that's why the people would lure him away from those trying to recapture him to guide him back to his orca family? I really am curious, not being sarcastic or anything.
I don't remember the story that well, but I'm sure the Natives had their reasons for wanting to keep Luna around. Here's one explanation of the issue:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reuniteluna.com/news_release.php?id=716
MMFN people believe in the right of the whale to rejoin L-pod. However, added James, "We object to the techniques of the DFO to move Tsux'iit back down: throw him into a pen, then the back of a truck, with no certainty of whether he will rejoin his pod or not."
MMFN had qualms about the planned move; the outcome was confrontation. When DFO and the Vancouver Aquarium--of ignominious history vis-à-vis killer whales--attempted to capture Tsux'iit, MMFN and Hesquiaht First Nation people in canoes coaxed the whale away toward Yuquot, the coastal portal for Nuu-Chah-Nulth people's first contact with people from the Old World.
Wiwchar quoted MMFN Chief Mike Maquinna last summer, during the height of the confrontation with DFO: "All we are doing is the same thing we've been doing here for thousands of years; paddling our canoes and singing songs. We have a very special connection with Tsux'iit and we're paddling in support of him. We're trying to stay out of harm's way, but DFO seems committed to turn this into a battle, even though we've made it clear we don't want that. They have bulletproof vests, guns and high-powered vessels. We're just paddlers in traditional canoes."
The DFO eventually relented in its pursuit of Tsux'iit and in mid-September a joint stewardship was set up between the DFO and MMFN. Funding for the stewardship is still being negotiated.
See Reunite Luna for a comprehensive set of articles on Luna.
ReplyDeleteI AM NOT SURE IF ANYONE WILL READ THIS ARTICLE ANYMORE OR NOT BUT I FEEL ALOT OF PEOPLE WOULD SEE IT DIFFERENT IF THEY WAS IN THE SHOES OF THE FIRST NATIONS I KNOW AND KNEW PEOPLE FROM GOLD RIVER KELLY JOHN AND ANOTHER CHIEF WHO PASSED RECENTLY AND KELLY JOHN AND MY FAMILY WENT TO PENN COVE FOR A LUNA MEMORIAL AND ONE WOMAN HAD HARSH WORDS FOR KELLY THAT IT WAS FIRST NATIONS FAULT WHY LUNA DIED AND CHIEF KELLY HAD SOME TEARS OVER IT HE SAID U KNOW I DONT MEAN TO OFFEND ANYONE OR HURT ANYONE BUT TWO WEEKS BEFORE AMBROSE MAQUINNA PASSED ON HE TOLD HIS PEOPLE HE WAS GOING TO PASS ON TO THE OTHER SIDE AND WOULD RETURN TO HIS PEOPLE IN THE FORM OF A KILLER WHALE A COUPLE WEEKS LATER HE PAST WITHIN ONE WEEK AFTER THAT LUNA SHOWED UP IN GOLD RIVER SO HE TOLD THAT WOMAN NOW IF THAT WAS YOUR FATHER WHO TOLD YOU THAT AND SOME ONE ELSE TRIED TO TAKE HIM AWAY AND SAID WELL THERE IS A 60 PERCENT CHANCE HE WILL LIVE AND A 50 PERCENT CHANCE HE WILL REUNITE WHAT WOULD YOU DO... THE WOMAN CRIED FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES AND APPOLOGIZED AND SAID SHE HAD NO IDEA AND NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT LIKE THAT SO WITH THAT SAID I THINK IT WAS LUNAS CHOICE TO STAY THEY TRIED TO LURE HIM WITH SALMON HIS FAVORITE TOYS SOUNDS OF KILLER WHALES AND THE FIRST NATIONS JUST SANG THERE SONGS AND HE MADE HIS CHOICE........
ReplyDeleteThe blog entries show up in Google even if they're not on Newspaper Rock's main page. And the blogging software alerts me to any new comments. So at least one person has seen your words and more may see them in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe amazing thing about your comment is that the possibilities add up to more than 100%. I'd say that's a miracle. ;-)
YAH 60 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIVING 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF DYING .....
ReplyDeleteAND A 50-50 CHANCE OF REUNITING TO SIMPLIFY IT FOR YOU