Discovering Totem Poles

Rising from a forest mist or soaring overhead in parks and museums, magnificent cedar totem poles have captured the attention and imagination of visitors to Washington State, British Columbia, and Alaska.Discovering Totem Poles is the first guidebook to focus on the complex and fascinating histories of the specific poles visitors encounter in Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver, Alert Bay, Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), Ketchikan, Sitka, and Juneau. It debunks common misconceptions about totem poles and explores the stories behind the making and displaying of 90 different poles.Travelers with this guide in their pockets will return home with a deeper knowledge of the monumental carvings, their place in history, and the people who made them.Watch the book trailer: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iAaAnYctJcg

Acknowledgments Introduction Seattle1. The Seattle Totem Pole at Pioneer Square 2. Grizzly Bear House Posts at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Victoria3. Wawadit'la, the Mungo Martin House at the Royal British Columbia Museum 4. Sgaang Gwaii (Ninstints) Poles at the Royal British Columbia Museum 5. Tony Hunt's Grizzly Bear and Human Post at Horseshoe Bay Vancouver6. Haesemhliyawn Memorial Totem Pole of the Gitk'san fromGitanyow (Kitwancool) at the Museum of Anthropology 7. Monuments by Bill Reid, Doug Cranmer, and Jim Hart at the Museum of Anthropology 8. The Thunderbird House Post by Tony Hunt at Stanley Park 9. Carvings by Susan Point, Joe David, and Don Yeomans at Vancouver International Airport Vancouver Island10. The World's Tallest Pole at Alert Bay 11. The Poles in Alert Bay Prince Rupert12. Eagle on the Decayed Pole at Prince Rupert by Dempsey Bob and Glen Wood Haida Gw aii13. Qay'llnagaay (Sea Lion Town) Ketchikan14. Saxman and Totem Bight 15. A Portrait in Saxman Park 16. The Clan House at Totem Bight 17. The Chief Kyan Pole 18. The Ketchikan Indian Community Tribal Health Center Totem Poles Sitka19. Chief Saanaheit's Poles at the Sitka National Historical Park 20. Sitka's Monuments at World's Fairs 21. The K'aylaan Pole by Tommy Joseph 22. The Sitka Wellbreity Totem Pole by Wayne Price Juneau23. Culturally Modified Trees by Richard Beasley at Mount Roberts 24. The Waasgo Pole at the Alaska State Office Building 25. The Wooshkeetan Pole by Nathan Jackson and Steve Brown Conclusion Suggested Further Reading Index