BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Lummi Nation brought the ashes of the last Southern Resident Orca in captivity back to Bellingham on Wednesday.
Tokitae, also known as Sk'aliCh'elhtenaut to the Lummi Nation, was captured from the Puget Sound as a young orca and lived the next five decades of her life in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium. She died in August in the midst of efforts to bring her back to the Salish Sea to allow her to live out the rest of her life in a sea pen.
The Lummi Nation considers orcas to be their relatives under the waves. Earlier this week, members of the Lummi Nation traveled to Athens, Ga., to culturally prepare Tokitae's ashes for her journey back to Washington state.
RELATED: Tokitae's Journey
The arrival of Tokitae's ashes at the Bellingham International Airport on Wednesday was a private affair. A private ceremony was scheduled for Friday as well but was postponed.
A timeline of Tokitae's journey
Tokitae was the last surviving orca of the whales that were captured from Puget Sound and sold into captivity. She was violently taken from her pod in August 1970 near Whidbey Island's Penn Cove.
Tokitae was sold to the Miami Seaquarium for about $20,000. She was believed to be just 4 years old.
Tokitae arrived in Miami in late September of 1970. She was said to be "depressed" upon her arrival, refusing to eat. Over the next fifty-plus years, Tokitae performed for crowds of hundreds under the name Lolita.
While protests went on for several years, it wasn’t until 2018 that the momentum behind the fight to free Toki got a huge boost thanks to the Lummi Nation.
The Miami Seaquarium said in a Facebook post that Tokitae began "exhibiting serious signs of discomfort" between Aug. 16 and Aug. 18. Tokitae received treatment from her medical team but died due to what is believed to be a renal condition.