Humans around the globe have been drawn to whales and dolphins for millennia, viewing them as guides, protectors, ancestral spirits, and even deities. Today, on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we’re celebrating the importance of cetaceans in Indigenous cultures!

Through our Whale Heritage Areas programme (part of the Wildlife Heritage Areas initiative), we recognise the cultural significance of cetaceans to coastal communities across the world and encourage areas to engage with and include local Indigenous groups wherever possible. For example, since Dana Point in California became a designated Whale Heritage Area, members of the Band of Juaneño Mission Indians/Acjachemen Nation have helped to launch the Dana Point Festival of Whales each year by conducting a Welcoming of the Whales ceremony.

Many of the communities that we are empowering through our Whale Heritage Areas programme include Indigenous peoples with a strong connection to whales and dolphins. Here are just a few examples of the different ways in which cetaceans are viewed and celebrated by these cultures.

Ancestral totems

First Nations people, Australia

First Nations people along the Australian coast have had a strong connection to whales throughout history. Cetaceans are considered elders of the sea and are a totem (family or clan emblem) for various First Nations groups. This ancestral kinship has been honoured and expressed in many forms, from rock engravings and other artworks dating back many thousands of years to Whale Songlines and Dreamtime stories, such as those of the Yerkala Mirning clan family.

In Hervey Bay Whale Heritage Area, dolphins are the native totem of the Butchulla People and were called Boothu or Yul’u or Djamarmee. The clans are not permitted to hunt, harm or eat the dolphins and the dolphins were thought to repay this respect by helping the Butchulla with their fishing. Dolphins would round up schools of mullet, confusing them into a huddle and steering them towards land, into the people’s waiting nets or spears. The Butchulla and the dolphins then shared the tucker, creating a trusting relationship.

The Butchulla People are active participants in the Whale Heritage Area as Custodians and Traditional Owners of K’gari, attending research expeditions with the Oceania Project and speaking about the importance of whales at the annual Hervey Bay Whale Festival.

Further north, in the Whitsundays Whale Heritage Area, whales also have significance as totemic ancestors. Creation stories belonging to the Ngaro People indicate that the whales have been there since creation spirits formed the islands and people. The Ngaro People would observe humpback whales, incorporating them into song, and welcome their return each year to give birth and breed in the warm waters surrounding the islands.

In recent years, this has become an organised community event, with the launch of the Welcome Whale Event in 2023. This annual celebration is designed and presented with Traditional Owners and includes a Traditional Welcome to Country, a Smoking Ceremony, an Indigenous dance ceremony welcoming whales to the region, stories from Traditional Owners about their connection to whales, traditional songs, and other activities to help the Whitsunday community connect with local, cultural heritage while building stewardship for whales and the marine environment.

In May 2025, around 350 people attended the Welcome Whale Event, taking part in face painting, cultural painting and rock art, watching and listening to recordings of humpback whales, as well as looking at data from WCA Partner and citizen science platform Happywhale and learning how to participate. One special humpback whale, who has been recorded on the Australian East Coast several times in the Happywhale database, was officially named “Younga” at the event, which means “mother” in the local language of the Gia and Ngaro People.

Guardians against evil

Pericúes, Baja California Sur

Cabo Pulmo, along with the rest of the southern coast of Baja California Sur, used to be populated by the now-extinct Indigenous group of the Pericúes. The Pericú were people of the ocean, living mostly on a diet of fish, shellfish and marine mammals, which they hunted in the southern Gulf of California.

One of the Pericú myths explains that whales were originally created as guards by the god Niparajá, who inhabited the skies. Niparajá’s enemy, Tuparán (also called Bac), waged a war against him. Niparajá fought and defeated Tuparán, but decided not to kill him. Instead, Niparajá threw his enemy from the sky and imprisoned him in a cave in the cliffs facing the sea.

To ensure that Tuparán would never be able to escape, Niparajá raised seven enormous creatures in the ocean – whales – who would be responsible for keeping guard against him. The Pericú believed that protecting whales was essential to keep the peace and save the world from the evil of Tuparán.

Treasures of the ocean

Māori, New Zealand

In traditional Māori mythology, whales were believed to be supernatural beings who were descendants of Tangaroa, the god of the oceans. Whales were seen as guardians during long journeys across the sea and there were stories told of dolphins and whales saving people’s lives by carrying them to safety.

For this reason, cetaceans were often considered to be tapu (sacred) and were commonly recognised as taonga (treasure). This is a view that continues today and their status as taonga species has even been recognised in legislation.

Until the arrival of Europeans in New Zealand, Māori people did not hunt large whales, but would use stranded whales for food, oil, and bone for cultural artifacts, after the body had been treated ceremoniously by tribal priests.

Some Māori tales warned against failure to show proper respect to whales, such as a story in which a tribal war god took the form of a whale who had stranded but was still alive and killed everyone who attempted to eat him.

Brothers and sisters

Chumash, Santa Barbara Channel

The Chumash people are native to the area surrounding the Santa Barbara Channel, extending from San Luis Obispo to Malibu. The Chumash believe that their connection to the ocean and marine life is not only spiritual, but familial. Dolphins are considered to be blood brothers and sisters of the Chumash people because of the key role they play in the Chumash creation myth.

According to this myth, Hutash, the Earth Mother, created the Chumash people from the seeds of a magical plant that she buried on the island of Limuw, now known as Santa Cruz Island. As the Chumash thrived and their population grew, Hutash realised that she needed to help them leave the island and go to the mainland, so she used a rainbow to make a bridge for them to walk across.

However, when they were crossing, some people looked down at the fog-covered sea far below and became so dizzy that they fell from the bridge. To save them from drowning, Hutash transformed the fallen people into dolphins. This is why the Chumash call the dolphins their brothers and sisters and believe that seeing a dolphin is a symbol of good luck.

Cetaceans and the natural world are celebrated and honoured by the Chumash people through their art, crafts, songs, dance, stories, language, rituals and customs. The cultural significance of cetaceans in the Chumash context extends beyond mere ecological value, reflecting a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of life.

The importance of traditional knowledge

The stories here demonstrate the range of significant roles that cetaceans have played – and continue to play – in different native cultures around the world, as well as the importance of recognising the knowledge of Indigenous peoples who have lived in harmony with the marine environment for centuries.

Wildlife conservation has typically been dominated by modern Western thinking and colonial practices such as ‘fortress’ models of nature protection and ‘parachute’ science. However, as the field progresses to become more inclusive, ethical, and collaborative, it’s vital that programmes like Whale Heritage Areas help to turn the tide and embrace the value of Indigenous knowledge and cultural connections.

(Cover photo of Kwakwaka’wakw whale design house board by the Detroit Institute of Arts, public domain.)