

Orcas Appear in Ancient Artwork Worldwide


As I was writing the previous post (Art, Orca Whales and the Coastal Salish Community) I began to wonder if other early cultures also had integrated orcas into their motifs or artwork. Since people today are thrilled to observe these stunning animals, and the orcas’ presence has always impacted those of us who live in this region, it just seemed logical that similar stories would exist in other parts of the whales’ range.

What I learned came as a bit of a shock: included among the mysterious figures made in the high desert of Nazca, Peru thousands of years ago is one of a 213 foot long orca whale.

Orca image in the high desert of Peru (Creative Commons Photo)

Figures of animals, humans and geometric forms extend over hundreds of miles there, and it is believed that they were constructed over centuries. Why they were made is anyone’s guess, (current theory is that it is related to their spiritual beliefs), but the inclusion of an orca and another type of whale tells us that these animals were of importance to them.

Some of the oldest known images of orcas, however, were found in the granite fields of Leiknes, Norway, which is host to petroglyphs (rock carvings) believed to be 6000 to 9000 years old.

A cave on San Nicolas Island (one of the islands off the California coast) is known as ‘Cave of the Killer Whales‘, named for the numerous images of orcas carved into the sandstone walls. These drawings are believed to pre-date the indigenous tribes that later occupied the islands.

Petroglyphs depicting orcas can be found up the Northwest coast all the way to Alaska, and for a facinating read on the subject I recommend Bill Leen’s website, A Gallery of Northwest Petroglyphs: Shamanic Art of the Pacific Northwest. Some of these carvings are relatively easy to get to, particularly in the Canadian Gulf Islands, and appear on everything from rocks in the intertidal zone all the way up to granite rock faces.

Because these orca images – from Norway to Peru and up the coast to Alaska – were carved in rock, they have endured for millennia. We may never learn if other less permanent expressions might have been used in other areas.

But those records that we are lucky enough to have reach through time and tell us that humans have probably always been fascinated with orcas wherever we encounter them.

Our relationship goes back a long way, and is yet another reason to make the necessary changes to save our resident orcas.

Young male J26 (Photo by Katie Jones)
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