The Sacred Lands Conservancy 501c3 dba Sacred Sea is an Indigenous-led non-profit committed to promoting ancestral knowledge and practices for the protection and revitalization of the the waters, culture, life, and sacred sites of the Salish Sea.
Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley
Sacred Lands Conservancy President Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley is a mother, a fisherman, and an enrolled Lummi tribal member. Every generation of her family since time immemorial has fished the Salish Sea. In her work to protect the life and waters of her people’s traditional territory, she has testified before US and Canadian governmental agencies, worked for Lummi Nation’s Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office, and currently serves as an elected member of Lummi Nation’s Fisheries and Natural Resources Commission. She is a founding and current board member of both the Whatcom Commercial Fisherman’s Association and SeaFeast. She is an Executive Producer on the feature documentary Resident Orca, the story of the captive orca Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Tokitae/Lolita), and is co-author of the bilingual Xwlemi Chosen (Lummi language) / English children’s book Sa’Le Q’ewet Netse’lh / Our Hearts Beat as One. Tah-Mahs is featured in the hour-long documentary Scha’nexw Elhtal’nexw Salmon People: Preserving a Way of Life, inspired by her late husband Chexanexwh Larry Kinley, a Lummi fisherman and tribal leader who promoted sovereignty.
Chexanexwh Lucas Kinley
Chexanexwh Lucas Kinley is a Lummi tribal fisherman. He is also an elected member of the Lummi Nation’s Fisheries and Natural Resources Commission, which oversees openings, regulations, species management, and negotiations pertain to Treaty-guaranteed rights to fish, hunt, and gather in traditional Lhaq’temish territory.
Cyaltsa April Finkbonner
Vice-President Cyaltsa (sigh-alt-suh) April Finkbonner is a fisher, multimedia artist, journeyman ironworker, and member of the Lummi Nation. She also serves on the board of Se’’Si’Le, an Indigenous nonprofit organization. Bellingham Alive! magazine profiled Cyaltsa in the Since Time Immemorial series. “Everything has a message, a story,” Cyaltsa has said of her work, much of which is about our endangered killer whales and salmon, the ocean, and the power of blessings and prayer. “Art brings forth the teachings of the ancestors through different mediums.”
Julie Trimingham
Secretary/Treasurer Julie Trimingham is a mother, writer, filmmaker, and communications strategist dedicated to the Salish Sea and to supporting Indigenous and indigenized stewardship thereof. She first became involved with Lummi Nation during the fight to protect Xwe’chi’eXen (Cherry Point) from the massive proposed coal port, when she created the “pop-up” non-profit, publicity campaign, and website www.coaltrainfacts.org. Subsequently, she was honored to work for the Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office of Lummi Nation for several years.
Na-tak-ul-tan Tino Kurtz
Na-tak-ul-tan Tino Kurtz is a Lummi tribal fisherman who also works for Lummi Nation’s Cultural Resources Department, the mission of which is to “preserve, promote, and protect our Sche Lang en.” Tino is part of the Lummi creative team behind a series of three bilingual Xwlemi Chosen (Lummi language)/English children’s books, the first of which has already been published by Chuckanut Editions: Sa’Le Q’ewet Netse’lh / Our Hearts Beat as One. The book features a translation key and other educational materials, and is currently being taught in Bellingham public schools as part of the Since Time Immemorial curriculum.
