Advocacy: Walking the Red Road

The Red Road is the path of discovering one’s relationship to the surrounding world. Original Man walked the Red Road when Creator lowered him to Earth and gave him instructions to travel the world and discover what life has to offer and how everything is connected—to be grateful for all that life teaches us. Living life based on the Seven Teachings of our grandfathers, the Ojibway walk the Red Road through Love, Respect, Bravery, Truth, Honesty, Humility, and Wisdom.

Indigenous Carvers
The House of Tears Carvers are Indigenous artists from the Lummi tribe in Washington State. They use totem poles as an art vehicle for healing and storytelling. They have created 110 totem poles over three decades and have taken them all across the country. They created this totem to bring awareness of the need to save indigenous sacred sites.

In 2021, they celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Totem Pole Journey in the Spirit of Healing, Honor, Hospitality, Respect, and Protection. These teachings give us a road map for a divine connection to ourselves, nature, and one another.

Art to Inspire Action
The House of Tears Carvers envisioned a journey across the U.S. to bring recognition to the need to save our sacred sites. To this end, a 24' (7 m) tall totem pole was carved from a 400-year-old western red cedar tree. It symbolizes the challenges facing the earth and her people, especially the Native Americans whose stories are told during the dedication presentations in cities all over the country. The pole was delivered to secretary of the interior Deb Haaland and the Biden-Harris administration to draw attention and action to sacred sites and Indigenous rights. The art isn’t what’s sacred, it’s the journey to the expression of self and the realization that we are all connected that holds the greatest treasure.

The ceremony in Washington, DC was held on July 30, 2021, at Diamond Teague Park. The Earth Corps hosted the totem pole on the pier. We prayed and sang songs of life and unity, charging the pole with energy for healing and protection of each other and our sacred sites.

This whole project started in the mind of a group of people and unfolded through their visions, blood, sweat, and tears. The video of master carver Jewell James discussing the process and idea behind the Red Road to DC really touched me as an artist and art educator. This project is a great example of how listening to our hearts and taking our imagination seriously will help us shape and create the world we wish to see.

Accompanying Mural
Along with the totem pole, a mural traveled from Washington State to Washington, DC, prompting people to respond through art-making to the question, How do we build capacity to understand we are all interconnected? At each of the stops along the journey, people contributed their energy and left their mark on this mural.
Sharing the story of the Red Road to DC can inspire students to create art that makes a statement about something they are passionate about—to make a change. It also shows the power of art in bringing awareness to a subject. When we talk about focusing on students’ social-emotional learning, it is important to take time for self-reflection and self-expression. Art is a vehicle that brings us back to self while reminding us we are all connected.

Iconography
Each part of the totem pole stands for an important aspect of how our world is being affected by the lack of protection of sacred sites.

At the top is a full moon with a red hand painted on it, bringing awareness to the missing and murdered Indigenous women. There is also an Indian man sitting on the moon praying to the Creator to save Mother Earth for all children. Just below the moon is an eagle bearing a salmon design on its wings. The eagle carries our prayers to the Creator. The salmon are to bring awareness that if we save the salmon, then we can save the orca. The orca was taken from her home, just like the Native kids were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools.

Farther down the totem pole is a section containing an image of a child in a cage. This references the separation of children from their parents at the U.S./Mexico border and their placement in cages. Also on the totem pole are seven tears that symbolize seven generations of trauma. The totem will be permanently installed at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.