The last Southern Resident orca in captivity passed away almost exactly one year ago at the Miami Seaquarium. Known as Tokitae and given the Lummi name Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, the whale was taken from the Salish Sea in 1970, then used as entertainment for the remainder of her life. But prior to her passing, Lummi Nation and other groups fought ardently to return her to her ancestral waters — and very nearly succeeded.
The new children’s book “Our Hearts Beat as One” commemorates Tokitae’s extraordinary story and the collaborative, wide-reaching efforts to bring her home. Available Thursday, Sept. 19 at Village Books, the book “honors the legacy of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, encourages readers of all ages to stand up to protect all our relations, and demonstrates the power of inclusivity and collaboration.”
“Our Hearts Beat as One” was co-written by Lummi tribal member Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley, president of Sacred Lands Conservancy (Sacred Sea), and writer Julie Trimingham. It features illustrations by Jason LaClair and Lummi translations by Na-tak-ul-tan Tino Kurtz, both members of Lummi Nation.
Kinley and Trimingham were deeply involved in efforts to bring Tokitae home through their work with Sacred Sea, an Indigenous-led 501-c3 nonprofit “committed to promoting ancestral knowledge and practices for the protection and revitalization of the waters, culture, life and sacred sites of the Salish Sea.”
The nonprofit worked with a number of other strategic alliances, including philanthropists, politicians, the Lummi Nation, marine mammal scientists and organizations including Friends of Toki.
“She brought so many cultures together,” Kinley said. This, Trimingham added, is the lesson at the heart of Tokitae’s story: the “sense of reciprocal relationship and taking care of one another.”
“It wasn’t just one person or a couple of people. It was a number of people showing up with their particular voice, their particular skills, their heart and their mind in the right way at the right time,” she continued. “And so the work traveled through the community.”
These efforts were largely successful: The Miami Aquarium’s corporate owners signed an agreement to return her to a 7,000-square-mile sanctuary in the Salish Sea in March 2023, just four months before her death. Lummi Nation members returned her ashes to the sea during a private ceremony in September 2023.
The Lhaq’temish consider the Southern Residents to be “qwe lhol mechen,” or “our relatives under the waves.” Thus, Native teachings about interconnectedness and family are central to “Our Hearts Beat As One.”
Kinley said the Southern Resident orcas and Lhaq’temish people lead a parallel existence: Both fish alongside each other and steward the Salish Sea. Both are matriarchal. Importantly, both face imminent threats to their traditions and ways of life.
Thus, for the Lhaq’temish people, Tokitae’s return wasn’t about more than saving an animal: “It was about making a family whole and righting a wrong. It was about the sacredness of family and the importance of home and place.” Kinley continued, “When we’re saying family, it’s not just healing the Lhaq’temish or the Southern Resident family … because they’re all family.”
Ultimately the authors hope Tokitae’s story will inspire new generations to think collectively and stand up for what’s right. Kinley reflected on her own family’s experience fighting for ancestral lands: Her husband and father were involved in efforts to return Madrona Point, a Lummi burial site on Orcas Island, to the tribe in 1989. She herself worked to prevent a proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point.
Kinley knows the book’s young readers — especially Indigenous readers — will reach an age where they, too, must say: “It’s my turn to fight for that.” Thus, the book closes with a signable pledge to protect not just orcas but all living creatures.
“That’s the whole point: Hoping to nurture these young ones into that, so that we’re not all separate people trying to do things,” she said. “We’re all together, just trying to save what we’ve got here.”
“Our Hearts Beat as One” was written for home bookshelves as well as Washington state’s Since Time Immemorial school curriculum. The book is completely bilingual, featuring English and Xwlemi’ Chosen’ (Lummi language) translations on side-by-side pages and a pronunciation guide for Lummi words and phrases. It also includes background notes, coloring pages, discussion questions and activities.
Community members are invited to celebrate the release of “Our Hearts Beat as One” on Sept. 19 at Sehome High School. In addition to a brief Q&A, reading and musical performances, the event will honor Lummi tribal members involved in efforts to bring Tokitae home. They will also announce the new Ska’liCh’elh-tenaut Legacy Scholarship at Northwest Indian College, funded with donations from the campaign to return Tokitae to her ancestral waters.
For more information or to book tickets, visit villagebooks.com.
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
