TAHLEQUAH’S MESSAGE FROM MOTHER EARTH
People watched with a mixture of horror, fascination and grief as an orca whale mother took her dead child to its burial spot. For 17 days and for over 1000 miles, Tahlequah carried her dead calf, which breathed and swam for only a short time after its birth, as she grieved her loss. Her pod swam along with her but her attention was tuned only to her burden. Tahlequah has been giving everyone on Mother Earth a message without speaking a word. Her tears were invisible to us as they fell into the vast ocean waters. Her message is clear.
The number of orcas from her region are growing smaller year by year. The foods they depend on have diminished to such an extent that there has not been a recent live birth for several years -- until Tahlequah gave birth to a calf that was alive and swimming beside her. As an intelligent mammal, there is no doubt that Tahlequah felt the joy of motherhood. Perhaps she also realized how momentous a live birth was to her pod. After all, whales are a matriarchal society and she was the protector and leader of her shrinking family group. But the joy and hope were short lived.
Mother Earth has been devastated by the greed of man. We all play a part in the greed that harms her and all of nature. Only a few actually own most of the wealth of our planet. Yet we all have surrendered to leaders who would rape and pillage our lands, air and water in order to achieve more wealth and power. We have a legislature who refuses to be the check or balance to the swamp creatures who are enriching themselves while trashing our world. Our legislators are shrugging their shoulders as protective regulation after protective regulation is tossed aside in the pursuit of wealth for a few. Our legislators fain ignorance of climate change, the impact of losing protected land to industry, and the harm of pouring pollution into our land, air and water in exchange for a relatively small piece of the money and power gained from harming Mother Earth.
The tears of Mother Earth have become so intense that we have had floods in places we have not had floods before. The white-hot anger of Mother Earth has fueled fires of historical proportions. The screams of Mother Earth have spawned hurricanes and storms of howling winds. The shudders of Mother Earth as she watches man destroys all that she offers to every living creature are felt in earthquakes.
Tahlequah has a message for all of us. Is anyone listening? Is anyone willing to stand up and say, “No more!” to what we are doing to Mother Earth?
TAHLEQUAH TO HER CHILD
I carry you home to a place you have never been before.
I lay you to rest in the place you belong.
I carry you home.
I grieve that you have left me,
But I carry you home.