PORT ANGELES — A symbol of harmony, a 14-foot-tall rendition of Native American art with Bear Man, Raven and Owl, will be erected in time for the celebration of the release of the movie based on the book, New Moon.
Part of the festivities in honor of the movie release, “Bella Luna: A New Moon Celebration,” will be a multitribal gathering to dedicate and bless a totem pole that will be erected Friday in front of The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Ave.
The gathering will be at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Pastor Jo Ann Olson will offer a blessing for the totem pole, also known as the Harmony Project.
Native American song, dance and drumming will be provided by Pat John of Ahousaht First Nation with approximately 30 to 40 performers from the North Olympic Peninsula and elsewhere in Washington state.
All Peninsula tribes have been invited to send representatives to the blessing of the pole, said Paul Cronauer, The Landing mall owner.
The pole was his idea. He wanted a symbol of harmony because he sees signs that historic conflict between native and white populations is waning.
“I think we’re finally getting to where we can put the past behind us and live in harmony,” Cronauer said.
The totem pole also celebrates a living tradition Native American art, much of which was taken to the East Coast or private collections in the late 1800s, he said.
“We live here in Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula that has incredible native art and artifacts,” Cronauer said. “We have this amazing wealth of tradition in public art.”
Salvaged log
The pole is carved from a 700-pound old -growth cedar log that was salvaged from Morse Creek Valley, he said.
It was a downed log that was “just a bump in the floor of the forest” on property owned by a friend of his.
They “went digging around and unearthed it. . . . I would assume it’s been down for maybe 100 years.”
The design and carving is by M.L. “Ole” Olson of Port Angeles, a member of The Landing’s Art Gallery.
“He actually is the artist and did the interpretation,” Cronauer said.
Olson was born in Los Angeles and attended El Camino Junior College and California State University, Long Beach. His experience includes being senior artist for the Northrop Corp.; technical illustrator, WEMS Inc.; and commercial artist, publication artist and fine artist.
“I came to the Pacific Northwest in 1996 to follow a dream: to record the beauty in abundance here,” Olson said.
He has been working on the totem pole for six months.
Story of the figures
Here is the story of the totem pole.
“From the cultures of the First Citizens, a story of harmony between people and their environment: The base of the pole is the Bear Man with Salmon, the food source of life and to which humans will return after death.
“The next figure is the Raven, the active member of the pole, who, in the beginning, went out and stole the sun and brought light to the world.
“The Owl is the top figure. The Shaman. The one who calls your name. The Owl has its wings protecting the Raven and the Bear Man.
“The pole is the story of life.”
The pole is expected to be raised between The Landing mall and the office of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce on Friday, but it will be veiled until the ceremony, Cronauer said.
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or leah.leach@peninsula dailynews.com.
