A GIANT Mexican totem pole can be found outside Hexham Abbey for the next two days.
Open University have partnered with Border Crossings' ORIGINS festival to engage with TOTEM LATAMAT.
The 4.5m high structure, carved by Indigenous Totonac artist Jun Tiburcio, is stopping off at Hexham whilst on its way to Glasgow for the COP26 summit.
Professor Graham Harvey, Professor of Religious Studies at the Open University, gave an address to the public in front of the totem pole outside the Abbey today.
"Latamat" means "life" in the Tutunakú language, and the totem is expressive of Totonac spiritual ideas as they relate to the environment.
The totem is designed to emphasise how deeply our existence is interwoven with nature, calls attention to the damage being done to the seas, the land and the air, and insists that we cannot ignore this destruction any longer.
It will be outside Hexham Abbey today (October 25) and tomorrow (October 26).
There is also a family Totem Trail around the grounds to engage young people in learning about the totem.
After COP26, the totem will be transported to Dumfries where it will remain at The Crichton until it disintegrates naturally.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here