shortly thereafter sinks like the spruce carving. The third carving is from hemlock, which leaps from the first and second pools, but sinks in the third. His fourth carving, from yellow cedar, swims out to sea after successfully navigating the pools. Natsilane praises the King of the sea lions and instructs the yellow cedar Blackfish to sink the canoe of his brothers-in-law, who have set out on another hunt, but to spare the youngest. After successfully sinking the canoe, Blackfish returns to Natsilane, who instructs him to never hurt another human; the youngest brother-in-law washes up ashore in the cove and eventually succeeds his father to become village chief. As for Natsilane, he is never seen again, although some claim to have seen him riding two killer whales far out to sea. Interpretation The story has obvious themes of self-preservation, a reliance on the earth and karma, but it must be interpreted in a Tlingit mindset, where life and animals are equal to (if not more worthy than) humans. The Blackfish therefore represents the force of nature that can be achieved when nature and humankind are joined (whilst the carving is created by Natsilane, it is assumed Sea otter brings it to life). The rather brutal ending should not be misinterpreted either: this is a happy ending, where good and the natural world (Natsilane and the Blackfish) have prevailed over man alone (the brothers). In the wild, orcas do not attack people; it is not clear if this is due to orca societal norms or because humans are not part of their regular diet. The only known orca-related human fatalities have all occurred at marine mammal parks where orcas were held in captivity. In popular culture A minor human character in the animated Disney series Gargoyles is named Natsilane. A variant of the Natsilane story (captioned as 'Natsaclane') is recounted in the 1993 film Free Willy (timemark: 47 minutes). References External links Tlingit mythology Haida mythology Heroes in mythology and legend