Totem Pole Brings Sacred Space to San Leandro Marina

By Victor Carvellas The evening was cool as the setting sun danced on the golden waters of the Bay. The earthy smell of burning sage billowed in the breeze. A small gathering had come on October 28th to honor the memory of the Lummi Nation’s departed chief, Bill James (Tsi’li’xw, d. 6/1/2020). Strapped to a flatbed trailer, thousands of miles beneath its wheels, the carved memorial, a totem pole, resplendent in bright primary colors and adorned with symbols and scenes from James’ life, lay before the crowd. The totem pole was the work of Master Carver Jewell Se-Sealth James (Praying Wolf) of the House of Tears Carvers. Since 2001, House of Tears has taken a totem pole on an annual journey across the country, visiting sacred sites, villages, and tribes. Jewell couldn’t attend as he has done in the past, but his brother Doug (Sit-ki-kadem) was there, totem pole in tow. This was the next to last leg of a journey that began in Washington State, swept across the country to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., then threaded its way back to the West Coast and the San Leandro Marina before stopping in Sacramento for the annual convention of the National Council of American Indians. As with other stops, Doug recounted the events of Chief James’ life and explained the pole’s carvings (The surname James belongs to both men as the Chief was a second cousin to Doug and Jewell). The evening was also an opportunity for those present to engage in a spirit walk, a time of contemplation, in recognition of the 2022 Sovereignty Run, also taking place in the Bay Area.

In 2002, Tribal Nations, leaders, and Indian Country advocates ran across the country from Washington State to Washington, DC to protest Supreme Court decisions restricting tribal jurisdictions and affecting tribal sovereignty. Commemorating the twentieth anniversary of that milestone, this year’s 1,785-mile relay race from Oklahoma to Sacramento draws public attention to more recent cases (in particular, Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma. For details see https://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2022/09/13/ncai-president-fawn-sharp-to-lead-20th-anniversary-sovereignty-run-across-indian-country). The Run is conducted in partnership with Bright Path Strong, whose mission is to inspire Native Americans through the example of the superlative athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe, whose Sac and Fox tribal name Wa-Tho-Huk translates to “Bright Path” (1887 – 1953), was stripped of his gold medals from the 1912 Olympics on the dubious application of rules regarding amateur status. He nonetheless went on to successfully play major league baseball, served as first president of the American Professional Football Association (which became the National Football League), and even acted in Hollywood movies. Chief James himself was a Master Weaver, but he was also a strong advocate for environmental issues. Not the least of his efforts included bringing back to her home, the Salish Sea, the orca known to the Lummi as Tokitae. Her story, which is ongoing, is carved onto the side of the pole. The Lummi tribe consider themselves, as Doug James says, “people of the sea,” and as such, they extend that familial bond to the creatures that live below it. Tokitae was four years old when she was captured in 1970 and taken to the Miami Seaquarium (where she has been renamed Lolita.) “We’ve been fighting to get her back ever since,” said James. For those Native Americans whose families experienced forced relocation, her situation is especially poignant.

Notable people in attendance included Miwok Tribal Elder Wounded Knee Del Campo, an activist with the American Indian Movement (AIM) since its founding; Tribal Chair for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, Ohlone Tribal Elder Corinna Gould; Tribal Elder Ione Mad Plume; Cheyenne artist and poet Kris Longoria; San Leandro City Councilwoman Corina Lopez, and many others. Del Campo spoke to the gathering about the need to preserve the land, forests, and waters for future generations. He reminded everyone that such efforts to change the laws in favor of protecting these things “take time,” and that indigenous peoples need to come together to successfully carry out “what our ancestors want us to do, to protect that which is sacred.”

As a symbol of welcome, Gould presented James and his family with sacred pouches of cedar and tobacco, as well as necklaces representing the earth and sea. Longoria reflected in an interview on the importance of the gift of acceptance. Here family was “shipped to the Bay area” in the late 1800’s but when her Cheyenne family arrived, there was no visible Native population to greet and support them. When the pole came to the area last year, Longoria and her friend Gould uses the sacred space embodied in the pole to “do a prayer together in which she essentially welcomed my family into her territory...it was the first time that I felt I was really home.” The Great Old Broads for Wilderness (https://www.greatoldbroads.org/) sponsored the event, bringing sandwiches and other refreshments. Councilwoman Lopez is on their Board of directors, and members Carol Kuelper and Sheila Jacobs hosted.