Totem pole carving program brings cultural connection to Washington prison
Cedar Creek Corrections Center celebrates a new carving program led by an incarcerated Native elder
A totem pole carving program at Cedar Creek Corrections Center is helping incarcerated Indigenous people reconnect with cultural practices while learning traditional carving skills. The program was established through a partnership between the correctional facility, the Indigenous nonprofit Unkitawa and incarcerated carver Albert “Al” Smith, who is Suquamish, Shoshone-Bannock and Pima, according to Underscore Native and ICT.
The program was celebrated March 2 with a totem pole awakening ceremony at the facility. Smith, who has been carving for nearly five decades, mentors other incarcerated Native men through the carving process. Jeremy Garretson, Northern Arapaho and reentry director at Unkitawa, said the program is likely the first of its kind in a correctional facility. Organizers are exploring similar programs at other correctional facilities in Washington state.
- 1.Nika Bartoo-Smith. Underscore Native News, .
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