WASHINGTON - On Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will accept Liberty and Freedom Totem Poles from the Lummi Nation on behalf of the President and the U.S. Government. The totem poles, carved from 600-year-old cedar, are dedicated to the 184 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon and veteran and current members of the U.S. military as a sign of unity and support from Native Americans.

Norton will read President Bush's Patriot Day Proclamation and deliver remarks at the 2 p.m. ceremony at the Pentagon. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Director of Administration and Management Raymond F. DuBois also will speak at the event. Lummi tribal members will participate in the traditional blessing of the poles, and a family member of the victims and a representative of the U.S. military will make remarks.