The NLM Healing Totem is intended to promote good health in keeping with the mission of the doctors and scientists who work at the National Institutes of Health to advance our knowledge of health and medicine.
The Totem process began in 2010, with the selection of a 500-year-old red cedar by Master Carver Jewell Praying Wolf James. James used a combination of traditional and modern techniques to carve and paint the totem. Following a blessing at the historic Lummi village site of Semiahmoo (25 miles north of Bellingham, Washington), the finished totem was transported on a truck across the United States, stopping for tribal blessings on reservations in 13 states. In October 2011, the healing totem was erected as part of a traditional Lummi blessing ceremony in the herb garden at the front of the National Library of Medicine, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Journey Schedule
| Event Date | Location |
|---|---|
| September 12, 2011 | Bellingham, WA |
| September 13, 2011 | Seattle Center, Seattle, WA |
| September 15, 2011 | Flathead, MT |
| September 17, 2011 | Pine Ridge, SD |
| September 19, 2011 | Standing Rock, ND |
| September 20, 2011 | Fort Totten, ND |
| September 21, 2011 | White Earth Reservation, MN |
| September 22, 2011 | Ho-Chunk Reservation, WI |
| September 24, 2011 | Chicago, IL |
| September 26, 2011 | Onondaga, NY |
| September 28, 2011 | Mohegan, CT |
| September 30, 2011 | Arrow Park, NY |
| October 5, 2011 | Bethesda, MD |
Stories from the Journey: A Blog 
I visited the herb garden today and noticeced that a large rectangular trench is being dug at the far end. In the middle of the trench, there is a cylindrical implant. I’m imagining that the totem will go into the cylinder. Over the 15 years that I have been employed at NLM, I have visited the herb garden regularly. The healing totem will be an appropriate addition, since American Indians use herbs in their healing. I have always admired American Indian traditions, and have participated in the NLM Pow-wow outreach program. The symbolic emphasis of women as healers and herb gatherers in Indian society is especially important to me, because my great-grandmothers were both herbalists in Russia and Poland.
My excitement about the coming of the totem to NLM is building as each day passes.
Does anyone know where in Chicago the totem pole will be displayed?
Jacob, thanks for asking!
There will be a public blessing of the totem at the American Indian Center of Chicago on September 24th from 10 AM to noon.
That address is:
American Indian Center of Chicago
1630 W. Wilson Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
http://aic-chicago.org/
For more information about this Chicago event please contact Samanthi@uic.edu.
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