The Lummi Nation’s annual Totem Pole Journey is taking a stand against coal and oil export in our region. Stand with them this week at events in Spokane, Olympia, Seattle and the San Juans!
Coal and oil extraction and export threaten the lands, waters, resources and human health of all of us, but none more so than the indigenous people who sit right in the path of destruction. The coal terminal proposed for Cherry Point, WA would sit right on the ancestral lands of the Lummi. The mining of that coal would destroy Northern Cheyenne lands in Montana, and transport by rail would harm the fishing and treaty rights of Native Americans all along the way.
JAMES LEDER
In protest against dirty and dangerous coal export and oil transport, Lummi carver Jewell James has created a new totem pole, which representatives from different tribes are taking on a journey from the Lummi ancestral home at Cherry Point to where the pole will be erected in the tar sands of Alberta. Along the way, tribal elders and community leaders will bless the totem pole.
Please take part in this important journey by attending one of these stops along the way:
- Spokane: August 26th, 11-12:30pm at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist 127 E 12th Ave (Info and RSVP)
- Olympia (updated time!): Wednesday, August 27th, 5pm at Medicine Creek, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. To RSVP for the event or for information on carpools from south of Olympia email beth@climatesolutions.org
- Seattle: Friday, August 29th, 11am-12:30 pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave East (Info and RSVP)
- San Juan islands: Friday, August 29, 7-8 pm at San Juan Island National Historical Park "English Camp" on San Juan Island. (Info and RSVP)
In the testimony of Master Carver Jewell James, the totem pole itself is not sacred—it is only when it is touched and shared by many communities standing together that the totem becomes a lasting part of our memories and a symbol of our resistance.
By taking part, we can let the Lummi community know that we stand with them in the fight against fossil fuels, and that we share the responsibility to protect the land, the waters, and the peoples of the Northwest.
For more information visit www.totempolejourney.org, like the Facebook page, or follow #totempolejourney on Twitter.