Ceremony and Solidarity on 50th anniversary of orca's captivity

September 24, 2020

Lummi tribal members have traveled across the country to hold ceremony in Miami for the orca Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Tokitae/Lolita) on the 50th anniversary of her captivity at the Seaquarium. On September 24, a  live-streamed virtual event brought global Indigenous voices together with those from the worlds of education, Western science, and law, all standing in solidarity with Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.

“There’s a lot of hurt in the world right now,” said Tah-Mahs (Ellie Kinley), one of the Lummi contingent. “Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is a symbol of hurt in the past, and hope for healing in the future. She’s showing us how ancestral teachings guide us to healing actions.  Upholding our Indigenous rights is good for everybody, because protecting the earth is good for everybody.”

 The event featured ceremonies held by Lummi and Seminole members for Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut, as well as ceremonies from Lake Baikal; Kyrgyzstan; Mongolia; a shaman from Okhon Island; a guardian of the Kanykei bulagy sacred spring, the head of the shaman's union of Mongolia; a guardian of the sacred Irbistuu mountain; Thura children in Nepal; and a shaman in Tuva. A  Statement of Solidarity from International Indigenous Leaders was launched, and leaders of Tribes, First Nation, and Indigenous organizations were invited to sign on.  It has already gathered signatures from Maori in New Zealand, Cowichan in British Columbia, Nez Perce in Idaho, Protectors of the Salish Sea, and Ponca Nation in Oklahoma.

“Sk’aliCh’elh-tenuat is part of our Salish Sea family. Our Lummi Nation passed a motion in 2017 to support work to bring her home. The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians then passed a Resolution to confirm the same. Tah-Mahs and I are simply carrying on the work we have been called to do. Estitem-sen (we’re trying our best). It is our Xa xalh Xechning (sacred obligation),” said Squil-le-he-le (Raynell Morris).

The Lummi term for orca is qwe’lhol’mechen, which means “our relations under the water.” Squil-le-he-le  and Tah-Mahs  are invoking their legal rights, as well as their spiritual, cultural, and kinship rights, in their call to bring their relation, Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, home to the Salish Sea. They are supported in their work by the Earth Law Center, the Whale Sanctuary Project, and Northwest Indian College.  Florida International University's Global Indigenous Forum and  Samuel Tommie of the Seminole Tribe of Florida joined Tah-Mahs and Squil-le-he-le in Miami for the event.

“Sk’aliCh’elh-tenuat is a sacred family member to the Lummi people, and so the Miami Seaquarium’s failure to return her to the Salish Sea runs afoul of their Indigenous rights,” said Grant Wilson, Executive Director & Directing Attorney of Earth Law Center, which represents Tah-Mahs and Squil-le-he-le. “This campaign seeks justice for both endangered Southern Resident orcas and neglected Indigenous voices.”

“Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is an amazing whale,” said Jeff Foster, of the Whale Sanctuary Project, who has helped to end the captivity of a number of cetaceans internationally. “We are providing our technical expertise to help the Lummi bring her home. The Lummi ancestral knowledge of what is best for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, her family, and the Salish Sea, can be supported by science so that this effort is done in the most responsible way possible.”

The general public was invited to sign on to a petition as well as to hold and share their own ceremonies for Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut.

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Media contact: Julie Trimingham, 360-305-5880

Michelle Bender, Earth Law Center, mbender@earthlaw.org

Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut is held captive at Miami Seaquarium, which is owned by Palace Entertainment, Parques Reunidos, and EQT.

The event was recorded and is viewable at : https://www.facebook.com/OurSacredSea