The Totem Pole Journey, led by Lummi carvers and organizers, brings together ceremony, art, science, spirituality, ancestral knowledge, and cross-cultural collaboration in support of the movement to remove the Snake River dams and restore to health the Snake River salmon and the orcas that depend on them. Traveling through tribal lands and cities in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, the journey will visit the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation on Saturday, May 14th.

Please join us for a public event featuring speakers, song, and ceremony, followed by the opening of “Whale People: Protectors of the Sea”, a pop-up outdoor exhibition featuring a 3,000 pound orca totem pole, salmon carvings, and an award-winning IMAX-style film projection that tells the story of today’s environmental emergency through the figure of the orca.

PROGRAM
2-3 pm PDT: ‘Meet the Carvers’ – public event inside the museum, followed by free admission to permanent exhibits and final day of “You Are Here” featuring 14 contemporary Indigenous artists.
7-8:30 pm: Totem pole journey event outdoors with blessing, speakers, and song.
8:30–9:30 pm: “Whale People: Protectors of the Sea” Exhibition viewing outdoors (13-minute IMAX-style film screens on a loop)

At the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, a museum and research institute, located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon.

PARTNERS
– Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
– Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
– House of Tears Carvers
– Se’Si’Le
– The Natural History Museum

SPONSORS
Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
National Endowment of the Humanities
Myer Memorial Trust

This exhibit has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Sustaining Humanities through the American Rescue Plan in partnership with the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM). The ideas and views therein do not necessarily reflect those of NEH or ATALM.