Dentalium Shells
Personal memory by Peter Callen
1800 • Northern California
Dentillium shells (Antalis pretiosum) were historically used for money amongst all the NW Coastal tribes from CA to SE Alaska. These mollusks no longer exist, but their beautiful shells can be seen in museums and collections. Honoring the memory of the lives which keep us alive; saying, "thank you" to those beings who may not be human, but indeed give us life, beauty, and memorable experiences; and placing their shells, their bones, and their other durable remains into our culture, is how we remember our creator, our place, and our meaning in the world.
Learn about Maya Lin’s fifth and final memorial: a multi-platform science based artwork that presents an ecological history of our world - past, present, and future.
Discover ecological histories and stories of former abundance, loss, and recovery on the map of memory.
Learn how we can reduce our emissions and protect and restore species and habitats – around the world.
See how art can help us rethink the problems we face, and give us hope that each one of us can make a difference.
Help make a global memorial something personal and close to home. Share your stories of the natural world.