Whales...

From the first couple of paraqgraphs, I thought that this essay on whale communications would be about what they have learned from their studies on whale communication. However, after reading it, I found out that they haven't made much progress. It makes me think about dolphins. We use their ecolocation (right?) --their high pitched squeaks and scientists have found a way to figure out their moods and conditions.
So why doesn't is work for whales? The narrator of this essay explains how whales have 3-dimensional languages. They also point out how it is nearly impossible to figure out what the 3D "music notes" (whale speech) means becasue they most likely have hundreds of different "words"/sounds for a certain work or idea.
The author also tells us that spiritual connection to the whales is necessary in order to understand and learn from them. What is interesting about this, is the fact that this is exactly how Native Americans responded to whales. For example, the Makah Indian Tribe located up in the Neah Bay area in northwestern Washington are major whalers. Whaling has been a part of their culture for as long as they existed. There main belief is that they aren't level with the whales, but that whales are sacred and they join together in life to learn from them. The author explains how she and her staff took a day to meditate and "free their soul" so that they could be ready to meet a sperm whale. I find this to be a connection with how some Native Americans tribes look upon whaling as a harmonizing event. In addition, we've read about whalers being killed by the whales, but looking at the Makah Indians, it seems like spiritual connection with the whales is how whales communicate and understand us, as human beings.
Its weird talking about "spiritualness" and "meditiation" because I'm really not that kind of a person =] but after reading this, it has made me realize that speech/writing/etc isn't the only way of communication in life. Emotional communication is a really important one, especially when it comes to connecting with minds as profound as of whales.