BELLINGHAM, Wash. — An event dedicated to the survival of the Southern Resident Killer Whales was held in downtown Bellingham Thursday evening.
“We Will Rise Again: A Totem Pole Journey” at Old City Hall was part of the Lummi Nation’s mission to bring the captive killer whale Tokitae home from the Miami Seaquarium.
Speakers included Lummi Carver Jewell James, who carved a totem the tribe took to the Seaquarium last year to urge Tokitae’s release to Puget Sound.
The event’s Facebook page says it was not just about Tokitae.
“The gathering is also dedicated to the survival and revival of her imperiled extended family—the Southern Resident Killer Whale population that live in our Salish Sea and rely on California coastal waters,” it reads.