Toki’s Spirit

is an educational and contemplative mission honoring Tokitae — an orca taken
from her family and held in captivity for more than fifty years.

Her story is about what was taken, and
the responsibility which remains when justice comes too late.

Please remember to listen and to learn what this means going forward.

Our Mission

Toki’s Spirit realizes the power of music as a force for conservation — elevating the story of cetaceans and mobilizing communities to protect the ecosystems they depend upon.

Tokitae — known to many as Lolita —

was captured in the Salish Sea in August 8, 1970.
She died in captivity on August 18, 2023,
Her life touched millions.

Across generations, cultures, and communities, people saw her —
She was kin.
She was a teacher.
She was a mirror.

The peace these whales bring is not separate from the harm they endure.
The rivers that once ran freely are dammed.
The salmon they depend on struggle to survive.
Pollution, noise, and warming waters have reshaped their world — and ours.
Toki’s Spirit does not exist to accuse, but to awaken stewardship.
To remind us that reverence is not passive.
That love carries obligation.

And that learning to live more gently with
the natural world is not a loss — but a return.

The Salish Sea, where Tokitae was taken from her family.