Porpoises and dolphins are often confused with each other in English translations of Native
American mythology. The "dolphin clan" and "dolphin totem" of the Tlingit and other coastal
Alaskan tribes are actually Dall's porpoises, for example. (Some true dolphins, like the striped dolphin,
do live as far north as Alaska, but the Tlingit have a different name for them.) Dolphins and
porpoises are closely related to each other, and in some tribes (particularly tribes of the California
coast) the same word is used to refer to both kinds of animals.
In any case, Native American tribes living near the oceans, like coastal cultures all over the world,
have many stories about dolphins and porpoises helping people by carrying them to shore in rough
waters or driving away menacing sharks. In some California Indian legends, dolphins are said to
have been transformed from humans, and serve as special protectors of the tribe. (Some tribes forbid
the eating of dolphin meat for this reason; others, like the Chumash, believe that dolphins
intentionally sacrifice themselves to hunters in order to feed the people, and hold special Dolphin
Dances in their honor.) And in South America, Amazon River dolphins (also known as "pink
dolphins" or "boto dolphins") are regarded with fear and awe by some indigenous tribes,
who believe the dolphins to be powerful shapeshifting sorcerers that may seduce women or drive
men insane.
Indigenous cultures
Ina (Bakairi)
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