When I lived on San Juan Island and interned at The Whale Museum in the early 1990s, I saw at least one Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) superpod each summer. A true superpod occurs when every member of the Southern Resident community congregates, though sometimes the term is applied to a gathering of most, but…
The COVID-19 lockdown brought into sharp focus our intergenerational trauma – emotional and spiritual baggage habitually restrained in “normal” times. We dove deep into our Indigeneity. Our thoughts turned to our First Nations ancestors who endured countless pandemics inflicted on them by colonization, the federal government, and the military. Would we survive this novel coronavirus?…
By Orca Annie Stateler In the grip of the pandemic, Tlingit artist Odin Lonning painted four square panels for the Open Space Arts and Community’s public outdoor mural project. From openspacevashon.com: “Attention! Artists at Work” is a jobs program led by Open Space in partnership with local nonprofit organizations. The goal of the program is…
By Orca Annie Stateler “Killer Whale and Salmon Nations of Whulj” Side A – By Odin Lonning Tlingit artist Odin Lonning recently installed a panel on the lawn shared by The Lodges on Vashon, Wine Shop Vashon, and Vashon Brewing Community Pub. “Killer Whale and Salmon Nations of Whulj” is a cutout hardwood panel painted…