The Natural History Museum - Kwel' Hoy: Many Struggles, One Front

Photos from a totem pole blessing on Ramapough Lenape land in Mahwah, NJ, where three communities facing similar pipeline threats came together to build unity and strength: the Lummi Nation in their struggle to protect the Salish Sea, the Ramapough Lenape Nation in their efforts to protect water and ancestral lands from the Pilgrim Pipeline, and the science community's fight to stop the PennEast Pipeline in Mercer County, NJ. The event was organized as part of Kwel' Hoy: Many Struggles, One Front, a traveling exhibition and event series developed by the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation and The Natural History Museum, a traveling museum led by activists, artists, and scholars. ************ Over the last 6 years, the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation has transported a series of totem poles across North America to communities threatened or impacted by fossil fuel projects. As the pole travels, it draws a line between dispersed but connected concerns, building an unprecedented alliance of tribal and non-tribal communities as they stand together to advocate for a sustainable relationship between humanity and the natural world. On Saturday, April 21st, leaders from Lummi Nation joined members of the Ramapough Lenape Nation on their land to support the tribe’s efforts to stop the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline from threatening water and sacred sites. Scientists who are fighting to stop the PennEast Pipeline from threatening NJ watersheds joined in solidarity. The event was organized as part of Kwel' Hoy: Many Struggles, One Front, a traveling exhibition and event series developed by the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation and The Natural History Museum, a traveling museum led by activists, artists, and scholars.