Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number CAS 0005-0425   CAS 0005-0425; Totem pole
Category Carvings
Object Name Totem pole
Culture Haida (?)
Global Region North America
Country USA
State/Prov./Dist. Alaska
County unknown
Other Geographic Data unknown
Maker's Name Unknown
Date of Manufacture ca. early 1900s
Collection Name Liebes Collection (Native Alaskan)
Materials Wood; Paint
Description Small totem pole depicting four main figures that are carved in low relief and painted in blue, green, red, and black; Back of pole is hollowed out and left unpainted; Bottom figure: wolf or bear (?), teeth bared downwards, hind legs missing, with raven (?) head at its feet; Second figure from bottom: wolf or bear (?), teeth bared straight ahead, clutching downward-facing small mammal (?); A man's head appears between the wolf's (?) ears and man's arms are contained within its ears; Third figure from bottom: bear (?) holding a downward-facing frog in its mouth; Top figure: man holding downward-facing seal by its rear flippers, with a frog (?) on the man's head; Top figure of man has his feet in the ears of the figure directly below him.
Dimensions (cm) Height = 140.3, Width = 12.6 , Depth = 8.3