Splash, L67
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I chose this orca because I was drawn to her mother’s name, Grace L2, which I have included on the flag to honour L67’s matrilineal line. When I researched about L67, I found out that Splash had two babies in her short 23 years, one was the famous Luna, L98, who was killed by a tugboat propeller in 2006 and the other was L101, Aurora, who died at 6yrs old, in 2008. On average, orcas can have 3 - 4 calves in their lifetime. The red heart on my piece represents Luna and Aurora and the two outlined hearts honour the unborn babies Splash could have had if she had lived. She died of starvation, with the classic ‘peanut head’ well documented before she disappeared in October, 2008. The green, silk ribbon, french knots on the piece symbolise Chinook salmon, the main food source of the Southern Resident Orcas.
I really enjoyed learning about Splash and stitching her memorial flag.
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Citizen Scientist: Monica Bennett