S2 | Ep. 010 | Sk'ali Ch'elh-Tenaut and the Sacred Sea

Young & Indigenous

In the Lummi language, the term for killer whale is qwe’lhol mechen, meaning “our relatives below the waves”. Once called “Lolita”, then “Tokitae”, and now “Sk’ali Ch’elh-tenaut”, The Sacred Sea organization is working to bring our relative back home to the Salish Sea. She was taken from her home in 1970 and has been at Miami Seaquarium ever since. The Sacred Sea organization is a 501c3 non-profit whose work has been grounded in spirituality and backed by science. The YAI Team sat down with members of the organization, Ellie Kinley, Raynelle Morris, Julie Trimmingham, and Tribal elder Shirley Bob. They discuss their connection to Sk’ali Ch’elh- tenaut and the plan to bring her home. To learn more, visit https://sacredsea.org/skalichelhtenaut/