Cedar Man: The Totem Pole That Defined a 1980s Protest Movement

   Totem poles are mesmerizing and breathtaking monuments unique to the First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest. They are true works of art that are also filled with history, meaning and symbolism. And they have been relatively ubiquitous in our travels, not only in major museum exhibits we have visited but also in many public spaces. There are at least six public sites in Vancouver, for example, where totem poles are found. The most conspicuous site is Stanley Park where the nine totems there have become Vancouver’s most visited tourist attraction.

   The poles are not merely historical or cultural artifacts but continue to have a real vitality today. In Alert Bay on one of our walks, we came upon a group of artists working on a 20-foot pole that a local chief had contracted to be carved for the front of his home. As is typical the artists were working on Western Red Cedar, which is particularly rot resistant and soft, so easy to carve. They told us how the process started by going into the forest to select the right tree. Before cutting it, many communities will hold a ceremony of thanks and respect to the tree. The tree is then cut and hauled to the worksite, in this case under a tent near the chief’s house.  These typically take up to a few months to carve and paint (if they are to be painted as this one was, but many are not). The life span of a totem pole is about 100 years. The inevitable rotting and falling of the poles is considered a natural part of a pole’s life cycle. 

   Poles tell a story and display important features or characters related to this story, often as in this case the family crest and totems identified or “owned” by the chief and his lineage, and through which elite families may identify their ancestry and privileges. After the pole is completed it would need to be ceremoniously carried to the site and raised (no small feat depending on size of the pole), and often the Chief would host a potlatch or other celebration usually including traditional dances and speeches.

   Totem poles are one of the most recognizable features of coastal First Nations culture. Their majesty is due to a number of elements, including size (20-60 feet typically), the mythic animal and human figures they usually depict, the family, tribal or historic stories they tell and the artistry and skill that goes into their creation. Animals featured typically include representations of familial and clan symbols including the wolf, eagle, grizzly bear, thunderbird, killer whale, frog, raven, and salmon. Totem poles were historically produced/used as interior house posts (structural elements often to support the main beams), house entries and welcome figures, cemetery memorials, to depict family crests/clan membership, to honor an event or person, or as a protest (as Cedar Man). More recently some poles are created as commissioned works of art.  There are also several examples of 'Shame Poles' which were erected to embarrass individuals or groups for a misdeed or unpaid debt. In 2007, one such pole was raised in Cordova, Alaska to shame former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond for the unpaid debt of 5 million dollars that courts decided Exxon owed for the damages they caused in the Exxon Valdez oils spill in Prince William Sound. The pole depicts the inverted and distorted face of Raymond and other features of the spill. 

Alert Bay Cemetery Poles including one fallen below

Namgis Artists Working on a Totem Pole in Alert Bay

Replica of a thunderbird house post (architectural house support) originally carved in early 1900s. Thunderbird is at top; grizzly holding a person at bottom.

Chief Wakas pole (Kwakiutl) representing a talking stick (typically held by people making important speeches on behalf of the chief), and originally raised in front of his house. Pictured from top to bottom are: thunderbird; killer whale; wolf; wise one; a mythical bird; bear; raven at the bottom.

Totem Poles at Victoria BC Museum

Beaver Crest Pole - Nisgaa depiction of how the Tait family's Eagle Clan adopted the beaver as their crest and how the eagle and raven met and shared the sky (Stanley Park)

Exxon shame pole by Tlingit artist. Topping the pole is the upside-down face of Exxon CEO Lee Raymond, sporting a Pinocchio-like nose.The pole tells the story of the spill: including sea ducks, a sea otter and eagle float dead on oil; a sick herring with lesions. There’s a boat for sale with a family crew on board, commemorating fishermen who went belly up.