Public Art Registry
Totem Pole 1 (On Loan for Exhibit to YVR)
Totem Pole 1 (On Loan for Exhibit to YVR)
 On Loan for Exhibit to YVR since 1995
1990
Totem pole
In place
City of Vancouver
Description of work
Cultural style: 'Ksan (Tsimshian) At the top of the pole, a human sits on the head of Eagle-Person, a crest said to have been taken by a family on its ancient migration from Hagwilget country to Kitwancool. In a lake they saw a large human being with an eaglelike head, wearing a headdress of grizzly bear claws that had water lily leaves around it: all these became crests. The carving on the pole depicts this supernatural being with an eaglelike head, human arms holding a frog, wings carved with human heads, and legs that end in clawed feet. The outspread wings are an unusual feature for a 'Ksan pole. Beneath is Grizzly Bear of the Sea; the two dorsal fins signify its marine affiliation. Variations in Sea Bear crests for this area also have three fins, or one fin with a carved face on it. The Gitksan have a story similar to the Haida's Nanasimget story, in which Whale abducts a man's wife. The lower section of the pole portrays this: the wife is clinging to Whale's dorsal fin; its pectoral fins are at the sides, and the tail fluke is turned over its back. The husband is at the base.
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