Image of a memorial pole at Alert Bay. Inscription at the bottom held by the figure reads "In loving memory of Tlaowa Latle of the Qiowasudinuk (Kwakwaka'wakw: Kwikwasut'inuxw) Tribe. Died Nov. 9 [rest of inscription illegible].
Image of a memorial pole at Alert Bay. Inscription at the bottom held by the figure reads "In loving memory of Tlaowa Latle of the Qiowasudinuk (Kwakwaka'wakw: Kwikwasut'inuxw) Tribe. Died Nov. 9 [rest of inscription illegible].
Image of a memorial pole at Alert Bay. Inscription at the bottom held by the figure reads "In loving memory of Tlaowa Latle of the Qiowasudinuk (Kwakwaka'wakw: Kwikwasut'inuxw) Tribe. Died Nov. 9 [rest of inscription illegible].
Image of a memorial pole at Alert Bay. Inscription at the bottom held by the figure reads "In loving memory of Tlaowa Latle of the Qiowasudinuk (Kwakwaka'wakw: Kwikwasut'inuxw) Tribe. Died Nov. 9 [rest of inscription illegible].
View of the Killer Whale Arch located at the entrance to the Kwatiul Indian Cemetery. This arch is a memorial to a boy lost at sea. Located at Alert Bay, British Columbia. Several crosses and memorial totem poles are visible behind this archway.
Photograph of a set of totem poles that will become part of the longhouse in Alert Bay, BC. These poles were carved and raised before the rest of the structure.
Photograph of two men carving a set of house posts that will become part of the bighouse in Alert Bay, BC. These posts were carved and raised before the rest of the structure.
Photograph of the interior totem poles of the longhouse in Alert Bay, BC, while the poles are still being carved. These poles were carved and raised before the rest of the structure. Two boys are standing near the poles.
Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and his wife at what appears to be the Namgis Burial Grounds in Alert Bay, BC. The poles were possibly made by Charlie James.
Photograph of former Canadian Governor General Roland Michener and two unidentified individuals, standing near two totem poles. The poles may be in the Namgis Burial Grounds.
Photograph of a totem pole in Alert Bay, BC. This pole has been called the world's tallest totem pole, though this is a disputed fact since it is actually comprised of two pieces. The pole is not specific to a particular family, but represents multiple tribes of the Kwakwaka'wakw. The pole was completed in the late 1960's and raised in 1973. It is located near the Big House.
Photograph of a woman identified as Mrs. Sewid and four younger women identified as her daughters. All five of them are in ceremonial dress. They are standing outside, with a group of spectators behind them. It is not clear what type of event they are at. A stamp on the verso of the print indicates that it was printed in 1958.
Image of a totem pole in Montreal, carved by Henry Hunt. This is likely one of the poles that he carved for Expo 67. The pole is seen at night, lit up from below.
Image of the houseposts and beam of what once was a longhouse in Quatsino, BC, on the north end of Vancouver Island. These posts appear to be the same as posts now houses at the Museum of Anthropology (museum item number A50009 a-c). The poles are described on the museum's catalogue: "Two upright posts and crossbeam that were part of a large interior house frame (also see records d-f and g-h). The uprights depict sea lions carved in high relief and painted (parts a-b). Their heads are equal size to their bodies. Both part a and b have an eagle in profile within the sea lions front flippers. Part a has a top portion of a face painted on the back of its head that is part of a sisiutl that runs down the seal lions back and into its hind flipper with a serpent's head in each. The cross-beam (part c) is painted and carved as a supernatural double-headed sea lion. All parts are painted black and white with Northwest Coast stylized forms... The Klix'ken (sea lion) House was commissioned by Tza'kyius around 1906, and was the last old style house erected in Xwatis. The beams and figures stood as part of a house frame, and acted as structural supports. Figures represented on house frames were supernatural beings which the family living in the house had the right, through their history and origins, to represent."