Ey’ skwechil (good morning),
Today is World Orca Day. As always, our relation, the captive orca Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (also known as Lolita or Tokitae) and our resident Salish Sea qwe’lhol’mechen (orcas) are in our hearts. While they are all resilient, they all have their struggles.
Hy’shqe (thank you) for your continued love and prayers for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, and for your support. It is our Xa xalh Xechnging (sacred obligation) to work for the healing of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, her qwe’lhol’mechen family, and the Salish Sea, and your generosity makes that work possible.
Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is still recovering
We remain grateful to The Dolphin Company, Friends of Lolita, and Miami-Dade County for their collective commitment to the well-being of our relation. As promised, The Dolphin Company is continuing to allow regular third-party health assessments and is sharing results. The most recent report indicates that while Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut appears healthy, she still needs her antibiotics. She is still recovering. We believe that healing is not just physical; we continue to hold traditional healing ceremonies for her. Your continued love and prayers make a difference. Hy’shqe!
Schelangen and enrichment
Schelangen is the Lummi term for our traditional culture and lifeways. Our people often talk about “walking in two worlds,” meaning, the traditional world and the modern world. Southern Resident Killer Whales have their own culture and lifeways. Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut has been captive for 52 years, separated from her natural way of being a killer whale. We believe that re-introducing Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to elements of her Schelangen, her traditional killer whale way of being, will help heal her. An example of this might be making her life underwater more stimulating, as most of her interactions over the past decades have been above water, with her trainers and the audiences. In this way, we hope that Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut might also “walk in two worlds,” reconnecting with her natural killer whale way of being while at the same time continuing to recover in her tank at the Miami Seaquarium.
As with the independent health assessment and the ongoing traditional healing ceremonies, this Schelangen / enrichment program is both beneficial to her right now, and is also outlined in the Operational Plan as one of the preliminary steps towards bringing her home.
A place to call home
Hy’shqe for your financial support: we are almost half-way to our GoFundMe goal. We are humbled by your generosity! These funds go directly to our work for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut. We are working right now for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut's recovery, and also towards our long-standing vision of eventually being able to bring her back home.
To that end, we continue to collaborate with the Whale Sanctuary Project in the search for a site where her Xwlemi Tokw (Lummi Home) could be built. We have narrowed our search to a few potential sites, and are actively working to assess the feasibility of each of these sites. Any site will require a number of permits and permissions from governmental agencies and upland property owners.
We believe that if we are well-prepared, we are more likely to get a “yes” from the various entities and agencies that have power over her future. Again, we are so grateful for your engagement and support. We have faith that —together- we can all do right by Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut. Hy’shqe!
