A 16-ft. long killer whale totem pole is traveling through the upper Pacific Northwest. It’s to raise awareness of Indigenous peoples’ calls to remove four federal dams from the Snake River.
Through May, the carving is traveling through Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, including stops with Native American tribes.
The pole is at the University of Oregon until Sunday, before heading out to Astoria.
Jewell James is the Lummi master carver accompanying the pole. He says the dams interfere with salmon migration, which in turn disrupts the feeding cycles of killer whales.
“We’re hoping that we’re tapping into the mind and the conscience of the observers, that we’re awakening them to the need to stand up and give voice,” James told KLCC.
“Our congressmen, they have the power to say, ‘Okay, remove the dams. Let’s take a vote.’ And the only way they’re gonna ever support that, is if the people speak out.”
Dam supporters - largely Republican lawmakers – argue the dams provide hydropower, as well as irrigation and river navigation.
The orca totem shows salmon and a human extending its arms in apreciation, as well as a calf resting on its nose. James says that represents Tahlequah, a killer whale that carried its dead newborn for over a thousand miles in an apparent sign of mourning.
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