Favorite Family Story

Your Name Informant: Bonnie Mae Brown, San Juan Islands Washington, 1979

Title: The Attack of the San Juan Whales

Genre: Story

Informant (who):

The informant is my grandma Bonnie Mae Brown. My grandma was raised in Corona, California. She has been a member of the LDS church her whole life and served a full time mission in Australia. My grandma married Niel Brown when she was 18 years old and they moved to Kent, Washington where they started their new life. On an academic level my grandma attended a few college courses, but never graduated with a degree. So she has her high school diploma, but that is about it. My grandma was adopted so most of her ethnic heritage is unknown. My grandma is 70 years old and has four children as well as seventeen grandchildren. My grandma is retired, but serves as a tour guide at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Monday evenings. She enjoys the presence of family in her life and will bake or cook anything to your heart’s desire.

Context (where):

Throughout my life my grandma has told me various stories, but of all the stories she has revealed this one has been my all-time favorite. It took place in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. My grandparents were present for this extraordinary experience. The observers that witnessed this encounter were enlightened and blown back by the rare experience that they had. In some way, shape, or form they demonstrated courage and calmness.

Text (the Cultural Artifact itself – the item):

It was like any other day, my grandma and her family decided they wanted to take their boat out and so they decided to go up to the San Juan Islands. It was about mid-day when they final pushed off from the dock and made their way on the water. As they voyaged from island to island they noticed a group of killer whales off in the distance and didn’t think anything of it. So they continued on. But out of nowhere my grandpa felt the boat rock slightly off the usually course and became rather alarmed. He shut off the engine to see what was in the water. In seconds a pod of orcas surrounded the boat. This alarmed both my grandparents because they had never encountered a situation such as this. They continued to sit on the water swaying closer and closer to the nearest island with each passing wave. Without further hesitation my grandparents knelt in prayer that they might be safe and that no harm would come to them. Immediately after they finished their prayer the pod vanished. My grandpa started the engine back up and they continued on their way, but for a split second they saw their lives flash before their eyes.

Texture (how):

This story explains the experience that my grandparents had in the San Juan Islands. Though the orca is common to this area they didn’t put into perspective that they might encounter a pod of them. The reaction of my grandparent was honorable to say the least and with swift action the orcas dispersed. The story itself always fascinated me every time my grandma would tell the story because it isn’t every day that a little girl hears a story about killer whales and how my grandparents survived to tell the tale. Reflecting on the story I do not doubt that the words which my grandma told me on that hot summer day to be false. In fact, it is a story that my mom would tell me whenever I go boating no matter where it is at. She would commonly say “watch out for whales you never know when they might surface.” It almost became somewhat of a joke in my family, but overall it is incredible story that my grandma continues to tell.  

Meaning:

This story demonstrates the courage that my grandparents had and how calm they reacted to such a frightening situation.  I feel incredibly proud to claim them as my grandparents because my grandma is definitely one of my heroes and also one of the most influential person in my life. This story is one that is continually told in my family and claimed as the time Grandma and Grandpa survived the orca attack even though they were never attacked. My family finds it to be humorous on the surface and that is why jokes are made about it, but honestly everyone looks up to my grandparents and the actions they made in the situation.