Native Voices: Native Peoples Concepts of Health and Illness

Posted by Patricia Devine on August 15th, 2011 Posted in: News from NLM, News From NNLM PNR

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Celebrate the Blessing of a Healing Totem and its American Journey … You Are Invited!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon; Reception to follow
Fisher Pavilion at the Seattle Center [MAP]
Seattle, WA

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) in partnership with the University of Washington Libraries and the Native American Land Conservancy invite you and your friends to celebrate the blessing of a beautiful healing totem crafted by Lummi Indian master carver Jewell James. The NLM commissioned Mr. James to craft the totem in honor of a new exhibition focusing on Native views and definitions of health and illness. Our event at the Seattle Center will launch a series of totem blessings in cities and tribal communities as the totem travels to the Washington, DC area, finally being erected on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Once in its permanent home, it will become a dramatic focal point of the new NLM exhibition, Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness, opening to the public October 6, 2011.

Bring a friend and help us begin the journey.

If you plan to join us at the Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion on September 13 at 11am, please RSVP to uwlibs@uw.edu

 

Featured Speaker:  Jewell Praying Wolf James, a world renowned master carver of totems or healing poles, selected, designed and carved the healing totem for NLM’s Native Voices exhibition. He is the lineal nephew of Chief Seattle (for whom the city is named), and the head carver for the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Indian Nation in Bellingham, Washington. James sculpted totems to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Those totems were installed in New York at Arrow Park, in Pennsylvania at Shanksville, and in Virginia at the Pentagon in Arlington.

 

Follow the journey at nlm.nih.gov/totemblog.