Episode 45: Kayah George and the Orcas

Wild For Change

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Kayah George. Kayah George is from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, part of the Coast Salish peoples of Victoria, Canada. Despite Kayah’s young age, she has spoken for half her life about indigenous and environmental issues like the transmountain pipeline and chemicals leaking into the Burrard Inlet.

She recently wrote and directed a documentary titled ‘Our Grandmother The Inlet’ that looks at the lives of Kayah and her grandmother Ta7a and their profound connection to water amidst the background of industry dominance as water is now seen as a commodity.

Beyond using her voice and remarkable story-telling abilities to support indigenous and environmental issues, Kayah is creating a docu-series in conjunction with National Geographic about the Orcas of Oak Bay, Victoria. Kayah has a very special connection with the Orcas. We will learn the history of the relationship of the Coast Salish peoples with the Orcas, how their lives parallel each other, the unique abilities of the Orcas, the threats they face and how traditional ecological knowledge has been instrumental in supporting the Orca population.

To learn more about Kayah George and her work, you can find her on Instagram at @kayahgeorge. To learn more about the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s efforts to stop the Trans Mountain Expansion tanker and pipeline project go to www.twnsacredtrust.ca.

A poem by Kai George’s great-grandfather, Chief Dan George

Get to know the animals around you,

Get to know the birds,

Get to know the land…

the water,

Because what you don’t know

you won’t understand,

And what you don’t understand,

you will fear.

And what you fear, you will destroy.

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