Totem pole journey to DC rescheduled to begin July 14

Lummi carvers will tour west coast sites to display totem pole before DC trip

Seattle, WA—The Red Road to DC Totem Pole Journey, a cross-country trip to highlight sacred sites across the U.S. that are at risk, has been rescheduled to July 14-July 30 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Starting July 14, the House of Tears carvers at the Lummi Nation will make stops at several locations that are considered sacred to local tribes and Indigenous peoples, and are current or potential targets for dams, mining, drilling, or oil pipelines. At each stop, the activists will display a totem pole especially created to honor these sacred sites. They will meet with local tribes and residents to underscore the message that tribes must give their consent before major infrastructure projects are approved.

Tour stops will include the Snake River within Nez Perce traditional lands; Bears Ears National Monument in Utah; Chaco Canyon, Navajo Reservation in New Mexico; Black Hills in South Dakota; and stops along the Missouri River, including Standing Rock Reservation, ND; the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota and the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan before arriving in Washington, DC on July 28, where the totem pole will be delivered to the Biden-Harris administration.

Following the tour this Fall, the totem pole will be featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Leading up to July 14, the Lummi Nation carvers, House of Tears, will tour the pole throughout the Pacific Northwest and West. The carvers have already made stops to several Washington State locations, including the Lummi Reservation, Port Townsend, Coupeville, Tacoma, Bellingham, Arlington, and Ferndale.

For additional information on the carvers’ west coast trip, please visit https://www.facebook.com/totempolejourney.

For additional information and to stay updated on the tour to DC, visit redroadtodc.org.