We Belong to the Sea
HAIDA ORCA SANCTUARY
WE BELONG TO THE SEA
WHO WE ARE
Our mission is to emancipate, rehabilitate, re-wild, and free captive and injured Orca whales home to the Sea by creating ocean-based Orca Sanctuaries of Healing--starting with the first in Haida Gwaii.
We work to conserve, protect, and increase dwindling Orca populations by returning them to where they blong--in the sea.
We Belong to the Sea is a Canadian federally and provincially registered non-profit organizations based in West Vancouver, BC and is also a registered 501 in the United States.
OUR BELIEFS
We are here to LOVE
We are here to CREATE
We are here to HEAL
We recognize the sacredness and inherent birthright of all sentient beings to live in FREEDOM and DIGNITY in their natural home environment.
We do this work with thoughtful, respectful, and compassionate decolonial intention, partnering with Indigenous leadership, observing and respecting Indigenous protocols and laws as best we can as we learn and unlearn, braiding together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in a good way, through our shared love of our magnificent Orca relatives. We recognize the deep, sacred ancestral relationship between Orcas and Indigenous peoples dating back many thousands of years who consider Orcas as members of their family, equal to any human - 'our relatives under the sea'. So it only follows that First Nation peoples see captive Orcas as abducted and imprisoned family members--held in slavery for financial profit by the 'animal entertainment' industry. We Belong to the Sea exists to abolish slavery, trafficking, and the exploitation and slave labor of Orcas for financial profiteering.
OUR GOALS
-
To educate, elevate, and promote a genuinely respectful, caring, knowledgeable, and harmonious human relationship towards Orca whales.
-
To create ocean-based Orca sanctuaries with consent and partnership with host First Nations, uniting like-minded partners to these shared ends of healing and liberation.
-
To restore balance and health of Orca populations and their interdependent ecosystems so that they may thrive, revitalizing and braiding together Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science. This includes working to support restoration of salmon populations and salmon bearing waterways and habitat, as well as returning other cetaceans and marine animals currently suffering in captivity.
-
To act gently and thoughtfully as best we can to heal the harm done to our Orca relatives, particularly since the 1960s when a generation of baby Orcas were violently taken by force from their home oceans and families, treated as a commodity to be caged and exploited by the animal captivity industry.
-
To respect and follow our duty to protect and care for all scared life, in balance, following Indigenous Natural Laws (grounded in the 7 sacred laws of Gratitude, Respect, Honesty, Humbleness, Wisdom, Courage, and Love) and to come back into right relations in service to our Mother Earth and our Orca relatives and the next 7 Generations.
-
To bring together non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples, nations, tribes, communities, organizations, and all levels of governments, via the sanctuary creation, by uniting in this work, to bring liberation and empowerment to all involve thereby in freeing and healing the Orcas, we free and heal humans at the same time--a reciprocal gift and relationship of respect and balance.
-
To right past wrongs, as best we can, bringing healing, wellness, unity, and peace to all peoples involved.
WHY HAIDA GWAII
On our shared Planet Earth, there are few better locations for the first Orca healing sanctuary than the pristine waters of Gwaii Haanas, on the breathtaking unceded Haida Gwaii archipelago--nicknamed 'Canada's Galapogos'--home to rich wildlife and over 500 archeological sites. Supported by local Matriarchs, Hereditary Chiefs, Council, and a growing number of respected Elders, Widsom Keepers, and the Haida community--enthusiasm and consent from more and more Haida members is growing to host this world's first healing sanctuary and Guardian care to bring the Orca relatives home.
SANCTUARY SITE
The first choice location for the sanctuary enclosure is Gordon Cove at the headwaters of Cumshewa Inlet on Moresby Island, accessible from Sandpit Airport. After discussions with Haida Hereditary Chief and careful, thorough consideration of many site options, Gordon Cove has been recommended by these Chiefs to be the best sanctuary location. Their reasoning includes:
-
This is the ancestral jurisdiction of the appropriate Hereditary Chiefs since time immemorial who give their consent and support
-
Close vicinity to the town of Skidegate and nearby Sandpit Airport
-
Road access with ample parking
-
Boat dock access with ramp
-
Canda's first and well established Guardian Program for potential local Indigenous collaboration with Guardians for Orca care.
-
Secluded and peaceful
-
Recreational camping visitors in the summer at nearby Moresby Recreational Camp Site, allowing for distant observation of the sanctuary from a stress-free distance
-
Deep cove with sharp shoreline drop-offs ensuring safety from Orca beaching at low tide
-
The U-shaped cove allows for spacious deep net enclosure and EZ-Dock floating system to be set up
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
We are building our Orca healing team and could use help in many areas. If you LOVE Orcas and would like to be part of this healing journey, please reach out to us. We are looking forward to connecting with you, uniting and growing our team of Orca Healers and Liberators.
