FEATURE
Diving Deeper Announcing Our 2020 Orcas Exhibition By Leah Best, Head of Knowledge
J
50, also known as Scarlet, was born into Jpod in December 2014. Hers was a difficult breech birth that resulted in distinctive scarring on her tail—tooth marks left by an orca that assisted at her birth. The story of J50’s birth is emblematic of the endangered state of the southern resident killer whales, an ancient clan consisting of three pods: J, L and K.
A year from now, the Royal BC Museum will open Orcas: Our Shared Future, an exhibition focused on these whales and their rapidly changing environment. Visitors will dip below the ocean surface to enter the world of J50, her extended family and orcas from around the world. The depth of collections and expertise at the Royal BC Museum enables a telling of Orcas from three
compelling perspectives: marine science (led by our curator of vertebrate zoology, Dr. Gavin Hanke), Indigenous teachings and values (led by the curator for Indigenous Collections, Dr. Martha Black) and the history of orcas in popular culture (led by curator of history Dr. Lorne Hammond). Each standpoint leads to the same conclusion: “We are a part of nature, not apart from nature.” For Michael Barnes, Head of Exhibitions, it’s the international collaboration behind this exhibition (a co-production with
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