The Christmas Totem, the beautiful retelling of the Christmas story using the totem imagery of the Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska, was recently installed on the lawn at Saint John UMC. The totem is the creation of pastor emeritus David Fison, an adopted member of the Tsimshian Nation. He first carved the totem years ago, using tradition native images and ideas to tell the story of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Our recent interim pastor, John Dodson was inspired by Pastor Fison’s insightful telling of the Christian story through the use of totems and encouraged David to make this project possible. The totem was made possible by a gift from the Fison family. Pastor Fison was the pastor of Saint John UMC from 1982-1989.
Recently a group of church members gathered to install the Christmas Totem, which is an exact replica of the original cedar log carving. It is traditional custom that totems kept outdoors must be painted, and so the totem is decorated in beautiful traditional colors.