Lummi indian community's shares responsibilities totem pole in portland
Community for Earth Committee members turned out in force for the Portland celebration of a Lummi totem pole on a pilgrimage against fossil fuel exploitation of native lands. The totem is bound for the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in eastern Montana.
First Church Revs. Kate Lore and Katherine Jesch were prime organizers and speakers in a ceremony that also included Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. Emphasizing his opposition to fossil fuel exports through the Northwest, Hales said: "I believe we should not participate in it."
Paul Lumney of the Tribal Fishing commission spoke about the tradition of First Foods and how when God gave them to the people, they were told, "If you take care of these, they will take care of you." What a wonderful way to carry on the tradition of mutuality in connection to the earth. The indigenous peoples have done that in their culture while we have been separated from the foods that sustain us and the earth that keeps us alive.
Jewell James, carver, spoke about the "Sacrifice Zones" that industrial extraction has made of native lands.
The totem itself is not sacred, he explained, "but what is sacred is the gathering of the people around the totem to stop our addictions to the world and again live in tolerance of our differences in harmony with the earth."
The 2015 totem pole journey comes at a defining moment in the collaborative effort to defeat fossil fuel export proposals in Oregon and Washington. The 22-foot long totem pole is being donated by the Lummi Nation’s House of Tears Carvers and will make stops at each of the proposed coal ports in Oregon and Washington as well as in tribal communities and places of worship. The totem pole is destined for the Power River Basin, the source of the proposed coal that would be transported across the Pacific Northwest. The totem pole will be raised in the Northern Cheyenne community in Montana. To follow the journal, click here.
First Church Revs. Kate Lore and Katherine Jesch were prime organizers and speakers in a ceremony that also included Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. Emphasizing his opposition to fossil fuel exports through the Northwest, Hales said: "I believe we should not participate in it."
Paul Lumney of the Tribal Fishing commission spoke about the tradition of First Foods and how when God gave them to the people, they were told, "If you take care of these, they will take care of you." What a wonderful way to carry on the tradition of mutuality in connection to the earth. The indigenous peoples have done that in their culture while we have been separated from the foods that sustain us and the earth that keeps us alive.
Jewell James, carver, spoke about the "Sacrifice Zones" that industrial extraction has made of native lands.
The totem itself is not sacred, he explained, "but what is sacred is the gathering of the people around the totem to stop our addictions to the world and again live in tolerance of our differences in harmony with the earth."
The 2015 totem pole journey comes at a defining moment in the collaborative effort to defeat fossil fuel export proposals in Oregon and Washington. The 22-foot long totem pole is being donated by the Lummi Nation’s House of Tears Carvers and will make stops at each of the proposed coal ports in Oregon and Washington as well as in tribal communities and places of worship. The totem pole is destined for the Power River Basin, the source of the proposed coal that would be transported across the Pacific Northwest. The totem pole will be raised in the Northern Cheyenne community in Montana. To follow the journal, click here.
COMMUNITY FOR EARTH MEMBERS RALLY SUPPORT FOR LUMMI PEOPLE'S DEFENSE OF THEIR SACRED LANDS
With impassioned calls to action for climate justice, the 2015 General Assembly public witness event featured First Nations leaders who are at the front lines. The service emphasized the struggle of the Lummi people of Washington, who are fighting to stop the largest coal terminal in North America from being built on their sacred waters and lands.
Close to 2,400 Unitarian Universalists and special guests attended the event, which was sponsored by Commit2Respond, the UUA’s umbrella coalition for climate justice work. It featured musical performances, inspirational words, and a call for everyone present to take the message back to their congregations and focus immediately on the critical issue of climate change.
Delegates inside the convention center cheered as Unitarian Universalist and Lummi leaders joined in a call for action. Four groups of delegates filed from the hall in a ritual affirming their support. And members of the First Church Community for Earth carried signs outside the hall and urged the public to take part.
The fossil fuel industry wants to “treat the Pacific Northwest as a toxic corridor,” said UUA President Peter Morales. “This injustice must be prevented.” Thanking all First Nations people in attendance, Morales said, “It is humbling to be in the presence of those whose ancestors have called the Pacific Northwest home for so many generations.” He added that original people “have suffered greatly at the hands of those with different values.”
Close to 2,400 Unitarian Universalists and special guests attended the event, which was sponsored by Commit2Respond, the UUA’s umbrella coalition for climate justice work. It featured musical performances, inspirational words, and a call for everyone present to take the message back to their congregations and focus immediately on the critical issue of climate change.
Delegates inside the convention center cheered as Unitarian Universalist and Lummi leaders joined in a call for action. Four groups of delegates filed from the hall in a ritual affirming their support. And members of the First Church Community for Earth carried signs outside the hall and urged the public to take part.
The fossil fuel industry wants to “treat the Pacific Northwest as a toxic corridor,” said UUA President Peter Morales. “This injustice must be prevented.” Thanking all First Nations people in attendance, Morales said, “It is humbling to be in the presence of those whose ancestors have called the Pacific Northwest home for so many generations.” He added that original people “have suffered greatly at the hands of those with different values.”
Describing the ongoing environmental degradation in the Salish Sea, Lummi Nation Councilman and treaty rights activist Jay Julius said, “I want to make it clear that sympathy is not what we seek. Today I hope to provide some inspiration and some courage. My hope is that after today, each of our tomorrows has more purpose.”
Noting that the Lummi were not a conquered people but entered into a treaty in 1855, by which they gave huge tracts of land to the U.S. in exchange for retaining rights to harvest fish in their traditional fishing grounds, Julius said, “Today the work we do is not necessarily for us but for future generations.”
Holding up his hands in his culture’s traditional way of offering thanks, Julius expressed appreciation to the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship in Bellingham, Washington, and especially members Beth Brownfield and Deborah Cruz, who have spearheaded the congregation’s partnership with the Lummi to stop the coal terminal. They have also worked with Jewell Praying Wolf James, a Lummi Elder and climate justice activist, on totem pole journeys in 2013 and 2014 that carried poles he carved to Native and non-Native communities that would be affected by the Cherry Point terminal and other fossil fuel extraction projects. Another totem pole journey is planned for this year, and UUs can support it through Faithify.
“We’re here to work together to form an alliance and protect the earth for the next generations,” James said. He also kidded the audience, saying, “I didn’t realize Unitarian Universalism was such an old religion. I thought it was created by hippies. You seem like you love the world, you’re kind of like flower children.” Click here for full coverage of the event.
Noting that the Lummi were not a conquered people but entered into a treaty in 1855, by which they gave huge tracts of land to the U.S. in exchange for retaining rights to harvest fish in their traditional fishing grounds, Julius said, “Today the work we do is not necessarily for us but for future generations.”
Holding up his hands in his culture’s traditional way of offering thanks, Julius expressed appreciation to the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship in Bellingham, Washington, and especially members Beth Brownfield and Deborah Cruz, who have spearheaded the congregation’s partnership with the Lummi to stop the coal terminal. They have also worked with Jewell Praying Wolf James, a Lummi Elder and climate justice activist, on totem pole journeys in 2013 and 2014 that carried poles he carved to Native and non-Native communities that would be affected by the Cherry Point terminal and other fossil fuel extraction projects. Another totem pole journey is planned for this year, and UUs can support it through Faithify.
“We’re here to work together to form an alliance and protect the earth for the next generations,” James said. He also kidded the audience, saying, “I didn’t realize Unitarian Universalism was such an old religion. I thought it was created by hippies. You seem like you love the world, you’re kind of like flower children.” Click here for full coverage of the event.