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News :: Civil & Human Rights |
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Please help return the Killer Whale Totem |
Current rating: 2 |
by Tacoma LPSG
Email: bayou (nospam) blarg.net (verified) |
02 May 2004
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Please help return the Killer Whale Totem to those it should belong to. |
Forward by Tacoma LPSG
Greetings all
I personally ask that all who can to please support the appeal
Below. Thank you
Arthur J. Miller
Tacoma LPSG
KILLER WHALE AND THUNDERBIRD MODEL
Help us save Abner Johnson's Killerwhale from being lost forever
April 26, 2004
We the family of the late Abner Johnson, an Alaskan Native Tlingit
carver originally from Angoon Alaska does not give permission to
Everett Community College to burn his unfinished carving piece of
art - the "Killerwhale" in a "Tlingit Totem Pole burning ceremony."
The college has not provided enough reason or proof on why this
particular ceremony was chosen over returning the damaged
Killerwhale to the immediate family of Abner Johnson.
The college should be held accountable for the lack of respect shown
to his unfinished "Killerwhale" carving that was started from a
"500 year old red cedar log" in 1973.
It was unfortunate due to illness that he was unable to finish the
dream he started.
For reasons still unknown to the family, of how and why the
college's maintenance department was allowed to cut off the head and
tail of the Killerwhale carving and throw them away -- through
miscommunication in November 2002.
We acknowledge that out of respect to the Killerwhale, the college's
Native American student club "United Native American Council" wanted
to make this wrong a right, and requested a healing ceremony.
However, the family has concerns of what the college considers a
"healing" ceremony, and the lack of understanding the "seriousness"
of this particular Native ceremony.
The unfinished carving was never turned over in Native ceremony to
the college, and was never originally carved to be a Tribal nor Clan
Totem pole. " It was his own unique design. "
We the family of Abner Johnson have asked to have the damaged
Killerwhale returned to us, then we could finish the story of the "Killerwhale and Thunderbird" he started, in his honor and memory.
The story needs to be finished and not forgotten ......
It is more favorable to preserve our Native Art than to destroy it.
Lisa Johnson and the family of Abner Johnson
Family and Friends have asked how they can be supportive to this
serious issue .......
HELP US SAVE THE KILLERWHALE
and be returned to the immediate family of Abner Johnson
WRITE LETTERS TO:
E.C.C. President Charles N. Earl and
Board of Trustees: Stanford Kinzer,Thomas L. Gaffney, Gene L. Chase,
Nancy Truitt Pierce, Carlos R. Veliz
Everett Community College
2000 Tower Street
Everett, WA. 98201-1390
phone: 425-388-9572
web site: http://www.evcc.ctc.edu/
EMAIL LETTERS TO:
the ECC President and Board of Trustee's
in care of
Cheryl Blackburn, Administrative Assistant to the President
email: cblackbu (at) everettcc.edu
Send EMAIL copies of your letters to the family or keep a copy for
your records email: Killerwhale73 (at) aol.com
For more information and photos:
http://hometown.aol.com/killerwhale73/index.html |
This work is in the public domain |
