KURT RUSSO on the People Under the Sea [ENCORE] / 345

For The Wild

Philosophy, Society & Culture, For The Wild, Anthropocene, Story Telling, Religion & Spirituality, Decolonization, Progressive, Liberation, Land, Media

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2023

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It is with a heavy heart that we share that Tokitae, a Southern Resident Orca held unjustly in captivity for 53 years, has passed away. To honor her memory, this week we are rebroadcasting our episode with Kurt Russo on the People Under the Sea, originally aired in October of 2018. This conversation explores the powerful memory held by Southern Resident orcas, the threats they face from vessel noise, chemical pollutants, and declining Chinook salmon population, the health of the Salish Sea, and the efforts of the Lummi Nation to return Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (also known as Tokitae/Lolita), from where she was being held captive at Miami Seaquarium, to her natal waters in the Salish Sea. Tokitae’s life ended while in captivity, but we hope that her memory may serve to inspire the fight for right-relationship and reciprocity with our more-than-human-kin.

Kurt Russo is the executive director of Se’Si’Le, an Indigenous-led nonprofit dedicated to the perpetuation and practical application of Indigenous ancestral knowledge. Kurt has worked with Indigenous communities since 1978 in the areas of sacred site protection, Indigenous treaty rights, environmental cross-cultural conflict resolution, and the intertextualization of ways of knowing nature. He was co-Founder and Executive Director of the Florence R. Kluckhohn Center for the Study of Values and the Native American Land Conservancy, helped establish the International Indigenous Exchange Program (Northwest Indian College), the Sacred Lands Conservancy, and the Foundation for Indigenous Medicine. He has a BS in Forestry from the University of Montana, an MS in Forestry from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in History from the University of California (Riverside). He is a veteran and served in Vietnam where he worked with Montagnard Indigenous communities.

Music by Monplaisir and Amoeba. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.

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0:46.8	Hello for the wild community. It is with a heavy heart that we shared that Tokatai,
0:52.4	a Southern resident orca held unjustly in captivity for 53 years has passed away.
0:59.7	To honor her memory, this week we are re-broadcasting our episode with Kurt Russo on the people under
1:05.6	the sea, originally aired in October of 2018. This conversation explores the powerful memory held
1:12.8	by Southern resident orcas, the threats they face from vessel noise, chemical pollutants,
1:18.4	and declining Chinook Sam and population, the health of the Sailor Sea, and the efforts of the
1:23.8	Lummi Nation to return Skelly Chuk-Tunut, also known as Tokatai or Lolita, from where she was
1:29.6	being held captive at Miami-C Aquarium to her natal waters in the Sailor Sea. Tokatai's life ended
1:35.6	while in captivity, but we hope that her memory may serve to inspire the fight for right relationship
1:42.0	and reciprocity with our more than human kin.
2:02.4	Hello and welcome to For the Wild Podcast, I'm Iyana Young. Today we are speaking with Kurt Russo.
2:10.0	Kurt has worked on environmental issues, land preservation, and treaty rights with the Lummi Nation
2:16.0	for 40 years. He is a senior strategist for the Lummi Nation's sovereignty and treaty protection
2:22.4	office, coordinating the Lummi Nation's Sailor Sea campaign and the Tokatai Repatriation Project.
	...

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