Native tales hint at past West Coast tsunamis (science & folklore)

[Dover]

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Tales about "Thunderbird" and "Whale" by native tribes along the U.S. West Coast, along with geological clues, point to at least two massive quakes and tsunamis that have hit the area in the last 1,100 years, a researcher said on Monday.

"Native people here were well aware that earthquakes happened and that is reflected in their oral traditions," said Ruth Ludwin, a University of Washington researcher who recently published two papers detailing such folklore.

In one tale, the mythical wind creature "Thunderbird" drives its talons into "Whale's" back and is dragged to the bottom of the ocean, which she said could be interpreted as a tsunami-like event.

The stories were collected from native tribes in northern California, Oregon, Washington and just south of Canada's Vancouver Island.

Ludwin, who collaborated with seismologists, said she began looking into the region's "geomythology" six years ago because of the lack of such data, which can be found in other areas such as Japan and the Indonesian island of Sumatra...cont'd

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050711/sc_nm/earthquakes_dc;_ylt=AvbXcRqS2ovjF7tFvKjkt3us0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MzV0MTdmBHNlYwM3NTM-

[applegrove]

1. Actually the scientists in BC heard the stories from Vancouver Island

tales and went looking for evidence. They found a murky inshore bay that had lots of dead wood and a 2 foot drop right there along the shore. When they looked at the surrounding standing and petrified wood - they guessed the quake happened around 1705 (or so). Then they went to the meticulous records of the Japanese and found record of a huge tsunami that destroyed a rice warehouse along the NorthEast cost of Japan and had the exact date.

A 2 foot open plate drop is huge. Especially if it is running right along the ocean. That would kick up a wave.

[ugarte]

2. Support your local shaman