Photo courtesy of the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation
The totem pole is one of North America’s oldest storytelling forms. Today, it continues to remind us of our place in the natural world, our responsibility to future generations, and our connections to the land—and through the land, to each other. To spread the message of shared responsibility with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, Lummi Nation elder and Master Carver Jewell James carries on the tradition of carving and raising totem poles. The House of Tears Carvers, a group he leads, also created a new tradition of carving and delivering totem poles to areas struck by disaster or otherwise in need of hope and healing. The first such journey was in the wake of the September 11 tragedy in New York.
In 2013, the Lummi people began what would turn out to be a yearly totem pole journey in response to the threat of a 50-million-ton coal export terminal which was to be built on their traditional lands at Xwe’chi’eXen (Cherry Point). Each year since, the group has brought the totem pole to Tribal and non-Tribal communities throughout the country seeking to honor, unite, and empower communities in the destructive path of fossil fuel extraction and environmental degradation.
This year's journey is taking place over the next few weeks. Check here to see if there's an event near you, or to learn how to participate digitally!
These journeys have strengthened and expanded alliances between Tribes, intertribal organizations, the faith community, environmentalists, and grassroots leaders by speaking to the moral consciences of culturally diverse communities. They united and raised the voices of these communities, which have been steadfast in their resistance to further destruction of the Earth. The journeys’ leaders called on all of us to take ownership for the sanctity of the air, land, water, and wildlife, and to exercise our shared responsibility for the restoration, protection, and preservation of these gifts.
Indeed, the last several years have seen a shift in consciousness, both subtle and dynamic, in which the Totem Pole Journeys have played a role. Despite the staggering number of obstacles placed before the participants, they are continuing to move forward on the path the journeys forged, armed with courage, commitment, creativity, and sheer audacity.
From fighting fossil fuel extraction and transport to saving our precious orca and salmon of the Northwest, to the protection of sacred lands across the Americas, the Lummi people—through the power of the totem pole—have created a Red Line connecting us to the land, to our communities, and to each other.