Lummi Elder tells story of last time she sang to Tokitae
Tokitae was the last southern resident orca kept in a marine park. She died unexpectedly on Aug. 18 at the Miami Seaquarium.
Lummi Nation member Shirley made trips to see Tokitae multiple times. At a memorial Sunday on San Juan Island's Jackson Beach Park, she described the last time she visited and sang to the whale Lummi members call Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.
Bob sang her a song she traces back to her great-great-great-grandfather.
"And when I sang to her, she went down, and she came up. She went up in the air like that and she splashed, and she got me all wet! And she comes and looks at me, and the caretaker said, 'She knew you, she knows the connection between you and her,' and I'm gonna miss that."
Lummi Chairman Tony Hillaire said Tokitae's spirit brought people together in a unique way, and her legacy will advance efforts to protect orcas and the salmon they depend on to survive. He said his people will celebrate her life again when they bring her remains home in September.
Full stream of the memorial here.
Audio of the song Shirley Bob sang to Tokitae:
Look At Me, Mr White Man, This Is Who I Am
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John O'Brien
Producer
John O’Brien is a KUOW newsroom producer. He works with the Morning Edition and All Things Considered teams to schedule, record, and edit interviews and stories on a variety of topics, from politics and public health to arts and culture. He learned to make radio in 2006 as an intern on KUOW’s The Conversation and is a former host of KUOW's Speakers Forum.
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