Squil-le-he-le – Lummi Elder and matriarch – on her relationship, and her nation’s relationship, with the orca known as Lolita, Tokitae and Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, the attempt to bring her home and sharing that story in the powerful new documentary Resident Orca. Resident Orca is now available on Crave in Canada and is still in festivals in the USA and around the world. “You can’t separate Canada and the US… “Clean up our beaches. Stop using plastic. Talk to your electeds. And say it’s enough. Breach the dams. It’s enough, stop the pollution. It’s enough, talk to Canada and let’s join forces in saving that body of water that we all treasure and hold sacred. ”
Made in Canada, eh 🍁
Shownotes:
4:43 Meet Skay-la-hay-la – Lummi (Lhaq’temish) elder and martiarch.
5:24 On the naming and renaming of Lolita/Tokitae to Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut
7:00 On being related to the orcas. “Our relatives that live under the waves… We’re related through cosmology.”
9:10 On the “round-up” that almost ended the southern resident orcas.
11:40 “They separated these babies from their mothers and there were several that were killed in the process and the captors didn’t want to count them in their take. So they slit their bellies, filled them with gravel and sunk them.”
14:24 The orcas’ memories of Penn Cove and the orca matriarch, Ocean Sun steering clear. “She never led her people back there to hunt. Ever… Ocean Sun led her people into the cove… and the one day they did ceremony.”
14:30 “They have traditions that mirror the Lhaq’temish people. *
16:32 Orca potlatches. “We mirror each others culture and traditions… they sing, they polatch, they surround in times of sorrow and loss to support the family.”
17:16 The Lhaq’temish take on salmon hats. “What we believe they are doing is they had feasted. That’s their way to share. I’ve had enough. Have some.”
19:20 On getting involved with the documentary: “If you don’t tell the story of her and her sacrifices. How will people know what they’ve done to her and her family.”
22:53 Squil-le-he-le on her journey to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home and becoming involved with the documentary, Resident Orca.
24:09 On the Lummi Nation stepping in to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home. “It was all led by culture, spirit and tradition.”
26:26 “The first time I saw qwe ‘lhol mechen ”
26:58 “The first time I saw her (Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut) was heart-breaking. She had no spirit left.”
29:20 On drumming to Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut. “She felt the healing. She accepted and welcomed the healing.”
31:31 On singing with Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut. “Trainers were crying… “Every week I would call. How’s my relative? How’s she doing?”
33:07 On her connection to Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut. “We were one.”
34:20 On moments that aren’t in the documentary – like talking with Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s long-time companion – a whitesided dolphin.
38:03 On the Lummi talking with orcas/qw’e lh’ol mechen.
43:15 On how to help the orca in the Salish Sea. Breach the dams!
46:50 Why people need to see Resident Orca.
50:35 “You can’t separate Canada and the US… “Clean up our beaches. Stop using plastic. Talk to your electeds. And say it’s enough. Breach the dramas. It’s enough, stop the pollution. It’s enough, talk to Canada and let’s join forces in saving that body of water that we all treasure and hold sacred. ”
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