A climate leader and matriarch-in-training, Kayah George is helping strengthen the generations-long alliance between the Coast Salish peoples and the orcas who live among them
Kayah George, 24, a Coast Salish matriarch-in-training and climate leader, is on a boat visiting her orca relatives in Oak Bay, Victoria, on a cold September day. Kayah is the great-granddaughter of the celebrated Chief Dan George, the granddaughter and niece of Tsleil-Waututh matriarchs Amy George and Charlene Aleck, respectively, and daughter of Tulalip matriarch Deborah Parker.
“When I saw it was two brothers, I thought, wow … it’s like that story from all those years ago when our people were starving because the salmon were being completely eaten by the seals. Two brothers took it upon themselves to do something about it … they went into the water where they suddenly grew larger and transformed into beings with black-and-white skin and a blowhole … and in their new form they hunted the seals. Soon the salmon started to return and the people flourished again.
Climate Innovators and Adaptors This is one in a series of stories on climate change related to topics of biodiversity, urban adaptation, the green economy and exploration, with the support of Rolex. Read more about the Climate Innovators and Adaptors program. Kayah says that her people have known all of this for far longer than modern scientists, and that in her communities, their relationship with orcas goes back generations. “We have stories of our people going whaling hundreds or thousands of years ago and always leaving the tongue for the orcas. We knew it was their favourite part. That’s how we grew our relationship with them.
“There’s much to be learned about the parallels between Indigenous Coast Salish peoples and orca whales, particularly around the consequences of trauma from colonization,” says Kayah. “My great-grandfather, for example, was born in 1899 and grew up in a longhouse. His childhood was disrupted and he was taken to residential school. By the time he came back, his family was suddenly living in a house. They also took the big orcas from their pods and put them in aquariums.
As we stand on the boat, we can see seals and Steller sea lions, cormorants and other birds gathering near the rocky shore in the distance. The two orca brothers have stopped next to our boat, so we lower the hydrophone into the water and listen for the telltale clicks of echolocation. “They can hear our heartbeats, our voices, the vibrations. They can tell how many people are on board, what species we are, what our physical condition is.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The 24-year-old Coast Salish woman protecting the North Pacific’s orca whalesA climate leader and matriarch-in-training, Kayah George is helping strengthen the generations-long alliance between the Coast Salish peoples and the orcas who live among them
Read more »
Greek coast guard defends actions as up to 500 migrants feared dead in shipwreckGreece\u0027s coast guard defended its actions in responding to a ship carrying hundreds of migrants that ended up sinking off the south coast
Read more »
Kamloops NorthPaws look to make a mark after rough start in West Coast League home openerThe new team’s loss was surely eclipsed by the sight of the young fans running the bases before greeting their new favourite baseball players
Read more »
Eric Akis: Two B.C. cookbooks serve up tasty West Coast recipesHave a ultra-tasty summer — with the help of two B.C. cookbooks
Read more »
RCMP say no critical injuries in crash of bus with 30 aboard near Prince George, B.C.Mounties say no critical injuries have been reported among 30 people on a charter bus that crashed on a forest service road north of Prince George, B.C.
Read more »
RCMP say no critical injuries in crash of bus with 30 aboard near Prince George, B.C.The bus was carrying pipeline workers Friday morning when it went off the road, sending 17 people to hospital
Read more »