Mama Marina

TW: pregnancy/child loss

In the summer of 2018, Tahlequah (J35) captivated the world when she carried her stillborn calf for 17 days across the Salish Sea near British Columbia. Tahlequah is a member of the Southern Resident orca population, which has been listed as endangered since the early 2000s. Because orcas are a matrilineal society, Tahlequah’s female calf would have been essential for continuing the family line.

The death of her older sister, Polaris (J28), in 2016 positioned Tahlequah as next in line to lead her family after her mother Princess Angeline (J17). Polaris’s death was a traumatic loss for the J17 matriline. Her male calf (Dipper, J54) was just 10 months old and unable to survive without his mother, despite the family’s efforts to care for him.

As Tahlequah mourned her own child loss during a 1,000-mile grief journey, members of her family began to take turns keeping the calf at the surface, allowing Tahlequah to rest and eat. As remarkable as it was to bear witness to this wild mother’s grief, it was even more inspiring to see her family come together to quite literally hold her grief along with her. In December of 2024, Tahlequah’s second female calf passed away and was also kept at the surface by her mother for over 11 days.

Although this blog will include themes of grief, trauma, and addiction, it is about healing and recovering through divine connection with others. I will often explore these topics as they relate to motherhood and parenting because those have become integral parts of my own journey. However, this blog is not solely intended for people who identify as parents. Often, the person for whom we most need to heal is our own inner child. Becoming the broken link in intergenerational trauma is a worthwhile pursuit regardless of “outer” children.

~

In 2019, Princess Angeline (J17) passed away, leaving Tahlequah to lead her family of five. Tahlequah has given birth to two healthy male calves named Notch (J47) and Phoenix (J57), both of whom are still living. Tahlequah has lost two female calves shortly after their births. Tali, born in 2018, died within a half hour of her birth, and Hope (J61) became ill and died within a couple of weeks of her birth in December 2024.

To learn more about the Southern Resident orcas and how to support conservation efforts, please visit the Center for Whale Research.

Brogan, Angie. Tour of Grief by Angie Brogan. 2025, digital art. Private collection.