Our community was deeply moved after hearing Dr Kurt Russo's recent podcast on For The Wild. Many of us felt inspired to support his great work and we are honored to have Kurt join us on Saturday for Heart and Mind: Changing Tides. He will be speaking on behalf of the Lummi Nation's pledge to return our underwater relatives home, one of the causes he has dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to.

Dr. Kurt Russo has worked with Jewell James since 1980 on treaty rights, protection of sacred sites, coalition building, cross-cultural conflict resolution and land acquisition. He currently works in the Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office of the Lummi Nation on the issue of fossil fuel exports. He is the Executive Director of the Native American Land Conservancy, and is a Research Fellow at the California Center for Native Nations (University of California).

In a recent conversation with Kurt, he had some beautiful wisdom and thoughts to share about our relatives.

"Did you ever hear about what the Dalai Lama once said to his interpreter... Kindness is the water and Spirituality is the tea.

We can't live without kindness-it's not possible. When I think about these relatives (the Orcas) and the families many things come to mind, but especially the kindness between all beings.

What I think about these days are the killer whales. They are part of a larger issue within their habitat in the Salish Sea. In 40 years of working in this region and in human ecology, the only thing that is standing between us and a dead Salish Sea are the native people ...

The Lummi have a tradition of going on canoe journeys and I want to share this photograph with you. There are 2 cedar canoes on the water of the Salish Seas. In the center of the V made by these two canoes, you see a form. The form is a killer whale that came out of the water. The whale breached for a long time, staying still while each member laid their hands on it. It spoke to them and it sang to them. It approached them as family.

This picture its telling a story. It's a meditation, so see if you can stop what you're doing and look at it truthfully and feel what is happening. Welcome to the world that's around us all the time that is often in many ways trying to make its presence known. When you're out on the canoe at night, you don't have a computer, or a phone, or anything... you have the water, and the night, and the canoe. Then here you have a killer whale who came out of the water to welcome them home and they sat there touching it and listening to its songs and its stories. Sit and be still with that.

The Orcas are people, they have agency as a person, they have clans and families, and long lines, and truth. They fully exist in the world and in their world and they know we're here and they're trying to wake us up.

So the photograph is almost a meditation. It speaks to people in different ways. Look at it. Don't look at it quickly, but spend time and get inside of it and let yourself understand what is happening there. They're teaching us. Knowledge seeks power and wisdom seeks silence. Be silent with this."

You can get to know Dr Russo and other extraordinary presenters, elders, musicians, and artists more this weekend at Changing Tides. Please reserve your ticket in advance.