Kooteeyaa Project Wellbriety Totem Pole

Just outside Mt. Edgecumbe hospital a “Wellbriety” Totem pole is being carved by Tlingit (pronounced klink-it) master carver Wayne Price of Haines. Wayne is Wooshkeetaan, from the eagle/shark clan. When I met Wayne he was in the process of patching several places in the wood where there were natural knotholes. He is a soft spoken, unassuming man who was more than happy to tell me about the totem and himself. Wayne said this was his 24th traditional totem, in addition to several non-traditional poles. He has been carving since 1971 (at the age of 14). This totem is the Kooteeyaa Project’s Wellbriety totem pole. SEARHC (SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium) President, Ken Brewer says that, “Project Kooteeyaa represents the natural partnership between health and Native Alaskan cultures portraying the continuing Journey to Wellness reflected in our traditional values.”

Totems have a rich history and each one tells a story. This particular totem includes the figures of Raven, (the creator), the Shaman and his wolf spirit helper, and Medicine Woman with her cedar basket of herbs. According to Ethel Lund, SEARHC President Emeritus, “It is our hope that this pole will bring strength and inspiration to all who view it, and that it will offer a calmness of spirit for reflection and meditation.” Lund says that SEARHC wants “to provide every opportunity…to offer healing to mind, spirit and body. Often we are learning, and this is strengthened by remembering our tradition, our stories and our ways.”

The target date for raising the pole is October 14, 2006 in front of the Community Health Center. It is intended for the Wellbriety totem to “represent the Native journey to wellness, the SEARHC substance abuse and prevention treatment programs, and the process of transformation to and the continuing journey of Wellbriety.”

Wayne let me snap some photos of him and the totem. One of the photos shows the time consuming process of "patching" the pole. I thanked Wayne and as I began to leave, he asked me, "Do you know how to tell that this is an authentic Indian totem?" "No" I replied, "How do you tell?" "You can tell," he responded "because it's got a-patchies all over it." A master carver with a sense of humer to boot.