U.S. native tribes use art to promote preservation

The nation's National Mall will be a bit more colorful beginning today as a reminder from some of the nation's native communities to preserve their history.

Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland is welcoming a totem pole carved by Lummi Nation carvers.

Organizers hope it is a reminder to make sure tribal communities are included in decisions about their land and resources.

"The 21st century is the perfect time for us to reestablish those consensual relationships because Mother Earth is in crisis," says Judith LeBlanc, director of Native Organizers Alliance.

As part of the "Red Road to DC" tour, organizers are bringing a totem pole honoring sacred indigenous places as a gift to President Joe Biden to urge his immediate protection of sacred sites. The totem pole has traversed the country, stopping at places and resources that are at risk due to development and infrastructure projects.

The Lummi Nation House of Tears Carvers have traveled 20,000 miles across the country from Turtle Island this summer conducting over 115 blessing ceremonies on the #RedRoadtoDC Totem Pole Journey. The journey aims to bring people together, along with attention and action, to support frontline Indigenous communities pushing to protect their sacred lands and waters from extraction and enclosure.

The Totem Pole and tens of thousands of signatures and stories, were presented in ceremony on the National Mall.

Now, the totem pole will be displayed in front of the National Museum of the American Indian until July 31, where an exhibition of the House of Tears Carvers' totem pole journeys is on view.

The tour is sponsored by Native Organizers Alliance, Se'Si'Le, The Natural History Museum, National Congress of American Indians, and IllumiNative.