Totem pole

Description of Work:

"Each of the ten figures is the crest of one of the ten Kwakiwaka'wakw clans representing the mythical ancestry of the clan. From the top down:: chief wearing high crowned hat and robe; Beaver; Old Man; Thunderbird and Sea Otter holding seal; Raven head down; whale with face for blowhole; woman crouching on head of Sisiutl; Halibut with human in its body; Cedar Man with head and neck rings." (From Totem Poles, Hilary Stewart, 1990, Douglas & McIntyre)

Artist Statement:

The original pole was commissioned by the province in 1958 and presented to Queen Elizabeth. The pole is 30.5m (100ft) high representing one foot for each year of the Province's existence at the time. The original log was a 600 year old red cedar from the Queen Charlotte Islands. At the First Cut Ceremony, Lt. Gov. Frank M. Ross made the first cut into the log. Mungo Martin worked with his nephew Henry Hunt and his son David Martin to complete the pole in seven months. This pole stands in Windsor Great Park in England. The Vancouver pole is an exact duplicate. - ibid, Stewart