August 20, 2007 - Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. A young humpback whale calf was stranded at North Beach for 12 hours. Over a hundred people from the nearby town of Tow Hill gathered throughout the day and did their best to keep the whale comfortable, spraying it with seawater and covering it with wet blankets. But their combined efforts were not enough to move the whale into deep enough water to free it. What finally turned the trick was the chanting of the Haida locals. High tide returning probably helped as well, but the Haida chants no doubt served to calm the troubled animal and may have helped to instruct the young whale how to return to it’s pod as well. The Haida people’s lives are traditionally interwoven with that of the humpbacks of the North Pacific. They are intimately aware of the migratory routes, feeding areas and habits of the whales . The youngster has not returned to the area which often happens when young ones become separated from their family. - T.M.