Jewell Praying Wolf James is a master carver with the Lummi Nation’s House of Tears Carvers and will be traveling with the Totem Pole to Hood River on Sept. 15. Contributed photo
Jewell Praying Wolf James is a master carver with the Lummi Nation’s House of Tears Carvers and will be traveling with the Totem Pole to Hood River on Sept. 15. Contributed photo
HOOD RIVER — A Lummi Totem Pole, carved by the House of Tears Carvers, is on a two-week journey in September, holding events in tribal communities, public venues and places of worship in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California.
The Mid-Columbia Unitarians will host the Lummi Totem Pole in Hood River on Monday, Sept. 15 at the Rockford Grange, 4262 Barrett Drive, from 5-6:30 p.m. The event is free. Speakers will include representatives from Columbia Riverkeepers and Friends of the Gorge, and the Totem Pole will be blessed by leaders of different local religious groups.
This journey will make the case that Indigenous treaty rights and inherent rights, Indigenous ways of knowing nature and environmental justice, healthy rivers and salmon habitat, spiritual and ecological balance, and ancient forests and climate resilience are all interrelated and critical to the future of our world and humans.Â
The Totem Pole will be visiting Bellingham, Olympia, Portland, Eugene, Klamath River, Hood River, Asotin, Seattle and finally, the Lower Elwha Tribe. At the end of its travels, the pole will be gifted to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe for their work in honoring, protecting and restoring the Elwha River and struggling to prevent the timber sales and logging projects that are threatening the newly released river.
Ten cedar masks that exemplify the spiritual meaning of Xaalh: the sacred balance of life, will be carved for the journey and gifted to event hosts.
Sponsors include Se’Si’Le, a Washington state non-profit, and the House of Tears Carvers, as well as partners including Sierra Club, Save our Wild Salmon, and Washington Conservation Action. Se’Si’Le’s mission is to use Indigenous ancestral knowledge for the benefit of our Mother Earth, Indigenous lifeways, and for future generations. For more information, check out Se’Si’Le’s webpage, se-si-le.org/campaigns/xaalh-and-the-way-of-the-masks.
•••
Both the Lummi Nation and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are federally recognized Indigenous nations in northwestern Washington State.
Commented