Additional Images

Provenance:

Richard & Maureen Bahnman, British Columbia;
Private collection, Ontario

Note:

In the late 1880s an influx of trade in the Pacific Northwest sparked the genesis of the model totem pole, the earliest prolific carvers of which were the Haida People of Haida Gwaii (previously Queen Charlotte Islands). [1] Working both in carbonaceous shale, and in wood, Haida carvers produced models for sale and trade to Euro and Euro-American visitors. The models were embellished with the complex language of crests and emblems that allude to foundational Northwest Coast mythology.

The present totem pole, characterised by well formed high-relief carving and a restrained and muted paint palette, is typical of late 19th and early 20th century, or so-called “emergent phase” production. Although wooden poles of this period are rarely attributable to known makers, this pole’s distinct greyish-white colour makes a Kaigani Haida carver a likely point of origin.

(1) Michael D. Hall and Pat Glascock Carving and Commerce, Model Totem Poles 1880-2010, (Washington: University of Washington Press, 2011), 57.