There is something oddly powerful about an old and decayed totem pole…in particular when it is still standing, as if in defiance of time and the elements. As an aboriginal person I revere totem poles because I understand the work and toil that is required to create them…I understand the respect and ritual required in choosing the cedar log…and I understand the spirit and life invoked when completed and stood tall. Totem poles are not just carved cedar logs…they are the storyboards of our people as told by our ancestors – they represent our responsibility to a certain way of life, knowledge and science…our Indian legacy. I can’t help but wonder what this particular pole has witnessed…eyes wide open…the stories it could tell if only it could talk. It strikes me as I take it in and then pass by, that its full story is somehow now lost and the full power of its presence somehow diminished…this mistaken and inane thought makes me stop walking. I am disappointed in myself…and then in the silence I hear it. The hairs on my neck rise and my body shivers both in defiance and acceptance of the event, and as I reach out to the pole and lay my hand upon its deeply textured and retreating grain I am relaxed into the moment. I convey my welcome and respect, and appreciation for this opportunity and thank the spirit of this pole…I close my eyes and take in everything it offers. After some time I pull away breaking the connection, and continue on my way much better for this experience. From a distance I look back one last time…still awed by this pole’s presence and spirit – and I reminded about what it means to be Indian.
Photo by Lawrence Lewis (2012)
*********************
Lawrence Lewis
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” ― Chief Seattle
About Lawrence Lewis
I do a number of things professionally...but most of all and the true purpose of what I do through "my work" is to provide for my family, be a good husband and great father, and try to make a difference as a world citizen...I guess it's not much more complicated than that 🙂