Volunteers help area’s Lenape Indians paint vivid story

The Thunder Mountain Lenape Nation has taken its story to the United Nations. Now, it wants to hear the stories of others.

A few years ago, Thunder Mountain created its rhythm totem pole exhibit. Besides being taken to numerous schools in the region to be used as an educational tool, the exhibit was shown at the United Nations in 2001-02.

The American Indian group knew the arbor poles that surround the celebratory dance area at its festival grounds needed to be replaced. Members of the group decided that instead of getting more plain ones, they would paint them in the manner that is unique to their group.

So far, 12 regional groups have signed on to paint an arbor pole, which will become part of Thunder Mountain’s annual festival and powwow near Saltsburg, Indiana County, in August.

As Clan Mother Pat Selinger said, the poles “tell our story.”

Totem poles are historically part of Pacific Northwest Native American history, but the idea worked so well that Thunder Mountain members decided to use the idea to give their nation’s history.

“We used that as a canvas to tell our story,” Selinger said. “It was an empowering project to work on.”

Several groups are working on painting the 6-foot poles: The Saltsburg Senior Citizens Center; the Ronald McDonald House, of Pittsburgh; Bruderhof, of Farmington, Fayette County; the Alle-Kiski Heritage Museum, in Armstrong Township, Indiana County; Burrell Township Library, in Indiana County, and Scenery Hill Manor, in Tarentum, Allegheny County.

Groups from Indiana Borough include ARC, The Common Place coffee house, The Newman Center, Chevy Chase Community Center, the Alice Paul House, and the Unitarian Church.

Two other groups are interested but haven’t committed yet, Selinger said. Aging Services Inc. also is participating.

“It’s the same concept. But instead of telling our story, we’ve invited those groups to tell their story,” Selinger said.

The groups must finish painting their poles by the end of the month so they can be treated for weather resistance. A pole-raising ceremony and picnic will be held July 10.

“I think they’ll be amazed at how human beings read pictures,” Selinger said. “This kind of has them come together and translate their words into pictures.”

Nineteen poles need to be replaced, but one is being reserved. That pole will be dedicated during the festival to veterans, who will be invited to sign the pole. Veterans’ families may sign for them, Selinger said.

Thunder Mountain is a nation of Lenape Indiana families, either by ancestry or adoption, living in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

By: Joyce Shannon, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Read more: Volunteers help area’s Lenape Indians paint vivid story – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_197564.html#ixzz1JSPtMjcy

 

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Organizations tell their stories on totem poles

Posing with their unfinished totem pole are staff, volunteers, and clients of the Alice Paul House. They agreed to tell the story of the shelter through the totem pole for a project headed by the Saltsburg-based Thunder Mountain Lenape Nation.

SALTSBURG–Totem poles are a traditional Native American way of story-telling–but words are replaced by colorful images, designs and symbols.

The Thunder Mountain Lenape Nation, in Nowrytown, near Saltsburg, supports the use of totem poles as a means of relaying a story, and Clan Mother Pat Selinger has taken the tradition to a new level, offering local organizations the opportunity to tell their stories in this non-conventional way.

The Thunder Mountain people were formerly based at Conemaugh Dam, but after Sept. 11 their access to the park was severely curtailed. A plot of land was opened up to them in Nowrytown three years ago; they moved their village, but are continuing to build up their new home.

Included in the village is a dance circle surrounded by poles which will hold a canopy in the hot summer to protect those watching the dancers.

“They’re just holding up the arbor for shade for the people to sit in,” Selinger explained.

This year, the Lenape people decided that the outer poles needed to be replaced. “But we realized that the inner poles were less thick,” said Selinger, noting that the new outer poles were eight inches thick, the inner ones only four inches.

“It wouldn’t match, it would be imbalanced, so we said we’d replace them all.”

They started out with an idea to supplant four of the poles with ones featuring stories of the four directions.

“But someone from a different organization said she would like to help,” Selinger recalled. “So I told her, maybe her organization would be interested in doing their own pole. And that’s how this whole thing started.”

The poles were removed in February–15 of the outer poles will be furnished by these various organizations, with the four directional poles included on the outside, and at a later date, Selinger said, the 19 inner poles may be done later by individual Native American tribes.

Letters were sent out in March, asking if organizations would like to create a pole for the dance circle. Most were local, but a few were scattered in the tri-state area, Selinger said.

“We’re a diverse people,” she remarked. “And we tried to get groups with different backgrounds.”

She added that she tried to choose organizations that would have a large group of people to work on the pole.

Loggers came onto the Thunder Mountain property and harvested poplar wood for the totem poles. The poles were prepped with a white glaze, and shipped off to the organizations who agreed to create the story poles.

The Alice Paul House, ARC of Indiana County, and Scenery Hill Manor were just three of the organizations invited to take part in the project, and each told their story in a completely different way.

The Alice Paul House received its letter in March, requesting the shelter’s participation.

Beth Illig, direct services coordinator, at first put the letter aside, believing the project would too difficult. But she brought it up at the next staff meeting, “to see if anyone was interested,” she said. “And they were.”

She also brought the project to the attention of the support group she runs for victims of domestic violence. “I wanted to see if any of them would be interested in helping, and they were,” Illig said.

“We couldn’t turn down the opportunity,” said Diann Overman, education services coordinator for the shelter. “We didn’t think we could have wasted an opportunity to tell our story.”

Backed with a team of interested people, the shelter scheduled its first planning meeting at the end of March.

Selinger attended the meeting to inform the group on what was needed of them, and to help generate thoughts and how to apply them to the project.

“She is very enthusiastic, and makes you want to be a part of this,” Overman said of Selinger.

Selinger explained that there were no rules except guidelines on what kinds of paint to use that would withstand the elements, and the requirement of a key describing the story the totem pole tells.

Besides that, “It was our pole,” said Overman.

And with Selinger’s coaxing, the group soon had a large slate of concepts with which to work with for their totem pole.

“We had so many ideas, it was hard,” noted Illig.

“We just kind of all threw ideas out,” added Overman.

At first, said Illig, the women had to decide what story they wanted to tell on their totem pole.

“We weren’t sure if we would have enough symbols or ideas to fill an entire pole,” she said. “But once we all got together, we had so many ideas.”

What was notable, Illig said, was that even with all of the ideas on the table, they were all similar, consistent themes.

They settled on telling the story of the Alice Paul House and what it offers to victims of domestic violence.

“It was a lot easier than I thought,” Overman remarked. “When we started painting two weeks ago, we found that it was a lot easier than we thought.”

Ruth Kimmel is a member of Illig’s support group. When she first heard about the project, “I thought it would be a neat idea, not only to tell the story of our shelter, but also to educate people,” she said.

And as one of the shelter’s staff members pointed out, this will not serve as an educational tool for just the Alice Paul House and its fight against domestic violence, but it will also encourage people to learn more about the Indian culture.

“That was one of the reasons why I really wanted to do this project,” noted LuŽne Hulings, a counselor for the shelter, “because of the connection with the Native American people and the Lenape nation. Because we are all connected. They were here before we were, and so much of that culture has been lost to us, and it’s nice for us to be able to reestablish with it.”

After Selinger’s visit, Overman said she was impressed to learn about the powerful role of women in many native cultures. And she liked the idea that the project would involve the shelter as a whole–the staff, volunteers, and the survivors.

“But that’s Native American thought,” added Hulings. “They are not separatists. They believe in doing things together as a whole.”

Overman said Selinger “helped us connect thoughts with symbols, and she shared with us how the Lenape natives had their own women’s movement.

“Within the structure, women hold high positions,” Illig explained. Selinger, for instance, holds the title of clan mother in the Thunder Mountain Lenape Nation.

A second meeting, or “brainstorming session,” as Illig called it, was held in the beginning of April.

“That’s when we came up with the idea of three sections,” Illig said.

Christy Imler, shelter manager, was the artist behind the shelter’s totem pole blue print. Gathering the ideas that the group agreed would tell the Alice Paul House story best, she took the symbols and arranged them on paper to represent how they will appear on the totem pole.

“It’s a transition pole,” she explained. “It shows the healing process from the beginning to the end.”

The story begins at the bottom with a tragedy, represented by fire and a tornado–”Things that we don’t have control of, like abuse,” Imler said.

A chain works its way up the pole, showing the bondage victims of domestic abuse feel and the feeling that there is no escape.

“And this part works with all crime,” Imler suggested. “How it happens and the emotions that you are chained to.”

A snake stares from the bottom of the pole, symbolic of evil, the abuser, and even the system, one survivor pointed out.

Though the snake is being used as a perpetrator, “it also can shed its skin, a symbol of new life in Native American culture,” added Imler.

A stairway also winds its way through the design, with a figure at the foot, preparing to make the long climb to wellness.

The staircase leads into the “nesting period,” and the role the shelter holds in helping piece victims’ lives together after tragedy–a safe environment, a support system, Imler said.

Three large eggs are cradled in a nest, and represent the three “colors” of victims that the shelter deals with: purple is domestic violence; blue, child abuse; and teal, sexual assault.

“The eggs are the victims being nestled, supported by the shelter,” said Imler.

“They are getting what they need to grow.”

The nest, meanwhile, is symbolic of a safe haven, but the fire from the bottom continues to throw its flames upward, following almost to the top, and showing that one can never totally disengage oneself from tragedy.

And though the fire does have a presence throughout the theme of the pole, “it’s never as bad as the initial because now they have strength and tools to carry on,” Imler said.

After the nesting stage, the chain from the bottom of the pole transforms into a chain of hands, supporting one another.

A period of transition follows, showing rain clouds–a sign that though strength is building, survivors should not be discouraged, because every day may bring with it new problems.

“A storm will still pop up, but it won’t be as severe,” said Illig.

“Especially with domestic violence, because the victim still has some contact with the abuser” because of children, court, or other circumstances.

Overman said she would like to incorporate a caterpillar and cocoon on the totem pole, to represent the stages of metamorphosis of victims, “from being closed up and afraid, to a rebirth into society.”

Three birds are perched at the pole’s top: a dove to represent peace; a phoenix, a sign of new life; and an eagle, the symbol of freedom.

The birds were Kimmel’s idea.

“After you leave the first stage and you go on to the shelter, the victim eventually becomes a survivor, and what they received from the shelter is new life, new freedom, and eventually, peace,” she stated.

An advocate of the Alice Paul House, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “I’m looking forward to the education this will bring to the community.

“People will look at this pole and understand what victims of abuse go through.

“It’s helped us establish a common ground, whether you’re a counselor or a survivor. We see the same vision, no matter who we are.”

“It’s a process,” added Imler.

“I don’t think people understand the obstacles that victims face and the number of choices they have to make,” Overman commented.

“And we support them in their choices.”

Kimmel provided her own view of the Alice Paul House: “They don’t judge. They respect without questions.”

As perceptible as the shelter’s pole story might be, and even with a key to explain the different symbolism, anyone who studies the pole may see a different story.

“Whoever looks at this pole will be able to interpret it however they want,” said Hulings.

“They’ll be able to step into the shoes of a victim,” added Overman.

“And we all worked together,” Hulings emphasized.

“That amazed me,” noted Overman. “I thought, how are we going to do this? What do we put on the pole? How are we going to paint it?

“But it just came so easy.”

“And we found hidden talent within the group,” hinted Illig.

Though Imler sketched some rough drawings on the pole as a start, a number of different people–from staff to survivors–did the painting.

The Wal-Mart in Blairsville donated painting supplies to the shelter, including the tint used to mix the colors.

And though the project has been a source of fun for those involved, the shelter is not taking its participation for granted.

“We just appreciate being contacted and being given the opportunity to engage in this project,” said Hulings.

“It’s been going so smoothly,” said Imler.

The staff and clients of the ARC of Indiana County, which provides services to those who are mentally challenged, have also been busy preparing their pole for the project.

Like the Alice Paul House, at the end of March, the staff met to determine what design they would paint, that would implement both the history of ARC and its future.

Joanne Taylor, an ARC board member and president of the parent transition group, researched various symbols that could be applied to the group’s cause.

“It’s hard telling a story in pictures, and Joanne was able to find symbols and what they meant,” said Nancy Janicak, vice president of ARC of Indiana County.

“And one of the things we decided to do is the spiral as a theme. Our mission is kind of like the spiral in that it never ends. It never stays in one place.”

They chose a spiral staircase, to represent direction and changes, which will snake up the pole and blossom into vines at the very top.

“And that’s what we do,” Janicak noted.

ARC Executive Director Barbara Telthorster added, “We help young people transition through school to independent living, and we wanted to depict this on the totem pole.”

“We respond to the needs of the community,” Janicak remarked. “That’s our primary focus, is to respond to the needs that are out there.”

As the spiral twines, basic elements of ARC will be implemented along its path. At the top, the staircase explodes into vines, showing how ARC is branching off in different directions, and its partnership with other community-minded organizations.

The totem pole, noted Telthorster, displays just a few of the things that the organization is doing for its clients.

“These are just some of the things that we’re doing, and we’re still growing,” Telthorster pointed out.

Once at the top of the spiral, animal symbols will be stenciled in, “showing some of the things that have meaning to us,” said Janicak.

Frogs represent change and growth; turtles, longevity; owls, wisdom; a raven for dreams–”

All of our kids have dreams,” said Janicak. Also included are a wolf symbolizing protection; a parrot for communication; and a dove, the former symbol of the ARC; a ladybug for good luck; and a lamb representing innocence and youth.

“So that is how we are going to tell our story,” said Janicak.

They also have a stencil of children holding hands, “Because that what we are–a link to support each other,” noted Telthorster.

Selinger called Telthorster requesting the ARC’s participation. “We were really impressed with what they had to say,” she noted.

“We really believe in community involvement, and this is just another aspect. I’m excited about it.”

“I think it was just exciting to able to tell our story to people we wouldn’t normally reach,” she continued. “We do a lot of public speaking, but to put our story into pictures was a challenge.”

“We can write our story–that would be easy,” added Janicak.

The ARC has enlisted staff, volunteers, and clients and their families for the painting process.

“We hope to get as many kids as we can involved,” said Janicak.

“We want it to be a family project,” Telthorster interjected.

Janicak said she is excited that ARC is to become a part of the Thunder Mountain Lenape Nation’s village, and to be included in their culture

“We’re really impressed with being asked to be part of their new dance circle,” said Janicak.

And though work was slow-going at first for the ARC totem pole, Janicak isn’t worried.

“It will come together,” she remarked.

The organizations involved have all been invited to a pole raising party that will be held in July.

The poles will be inserted into cement blocks to keep the wood from rotting, and a plaque relaying each pole’s creator will accompany the key explaining the pole’s design.

“The cement will be pored and the poles will go up–kind of like an old-fashioned barn-raising,” noted Selinger.

She noted that one pole in particular will be dedicated to veterans, and any visiting during the annual festival may sign the pole. Families and friends of deceased veterans will also be encouraged to sign the names of their loved ones.

In August, when the Thunder Mountain Lenape Nation holds its annual festival in Nowrytown, the poles will be unveiled to the public.

“I think it will be interesting to meet with the other organizations and see what they’ve done,” said Illig. “And it’s great to all come together for one cause.”

“I think it’s going to be exciting to see the other poles and see their stories,” Overman said of the other organizations involved.

“It will be nice to see everybody pause and look at each pole and appreciate them,” said Roxie Johnston, shelter manager.

Overman has attended the festival previously with her children, but most of the other pole participants at the Alice Paul House have not yet visited the tribe’s rural site.

“I can’t wait to see it, though,” Illig commented.

Scenery Hill Manor thought of a way to incorporate the old and the young into its totem pole project.

They have decided upon a joint project with Indiana West II ARIN children, who visit the facility twice a month.

“We had them come and place their handprints on the pole, and we will do the same with our residents,” said MaryAnn Simone, director of social services and activities at Scenery Hill.

“It’s kind of an intergenerational project that way.”

The children’s handprints were applied with red and green paint–the colors of Scenery Hill, Simone noted. Now, those of the residents will be added, interspersed with those of the children.

“The residents really had a good time working with the children,” Simone said.

When Selinger approached Scenery Hill about the project, Simone said the decision to participate was easy.

“We thought it would be a good intergenerational activity, and we’re always looking for new ideas for the children and residents to work on together,” she said. “It’s neat to the small handprints intermixed with the big handprints.”

The opportunity to reach a different audience at the Thunder Mountain festival was also an attraction to Scenery Hill, which is finishing renovations to its building and wanting to advertise its new and improved facility.

“We’re working very hard to get our name out in the public,” Simone said.

Other local organizations involved in the totem pole project include: Bruderhof, Alle-Kiski Museum, The Commonplace, Newman Center, Chevy Chase Center, Unitarian Church of Indiana, Area on Aging, Burrell Township Library, and the Ronald McDonald House.

Two grants were used to help finance both the Thunder Mountain Native American Festival, which be held Aug. 21-22, and the arbor pole project. Selinger received grants from both the Indiana County Endowment of the Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts through the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance.

All three of these organizations–the Alice Paul House, ARC, and Scenery Hill, were excited to be given the chance to tell their stories in a distinctive and eye-catching way.

“It’s just been a lot of fun,” said Overman.

“It’s a positive thing,” said Kimmel. “And it gives a sense of hope.”

Selinger said of the new arbor, “People coming to the pow-wow won’t expect to see a living art gallery. But that’s exactly what this is.

“It will be as if the community itself is embracing the guests as they come.”

For more information on the Thunder Mountain Native American Festival, visit www.thundermtlenape.org.

By: Gina Delfavero, Blairsville Dispatch

Read more: Organizations tell their stories on totem poles – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/blairsvilledispatch/s_197167.html#ixzz1JSRhfo6F

 

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