Totem-Post, Wood Carving

Item number E54295-0 from the National Museum of Natural History.

Public

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Data
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Notes

FROM CARD: 54295 HAS 2 CATALOGUE CARDS, CARD MARKED 54295A-B HAS THESE REMARKS: "AFTER AN EXTENSIVE SURVEY OF THE TOTEM POLES IN THE USNM COLLECTIONS, AN OBVIOUS DISCREPANCY WAS NOTED IN THAT SPECIMEN #54297 WAS CATALOGED AS ONE POLE THIS SPECIMEN WAS ACTUALLY ONLY HALF OF THE ORIGINAL POLE THE SUBSEQUENT HALF BEING ALSO CONSIDERED AS A COMPLETE TOTEM POLE. IT IS PROBABLE THAT THE ORIGINAL POLE (2 SECTIONS) IS THE SPECIMEN MARKED "A-B" AND NUMBERED 54295 IN THE CATALOG BOOK. THE SPECIMEN WAS APPARENTLY COLLECTED FOR THE PHILADELPHIA EXPOSITION OF 1876 AND IT CAN BE NOTED (ASSEMBLED) IN PHOTOS OF THE EXHIBIT. IN NOTES DERIVED FROM 'SWAN' LETTERS (1875-6) THERE IS REFERENCE TO A "CARVED COLUMN" FROM ALERT BAY (VANCOUVER ID.), HENCE A KWAKIUTL SPECIMEN. BASED ON THE USNM NW COLLECTIONS AND CURRENT NW COAST LITERATURE; THE TREATMENT OF THE SPECIMEN COULD BE CONSIDERED AS KWAKIUTL. 6/6/68 GP. EARLIER OPINIONS HAVE BEEN NOTED AS FOLLOWS: 1882 ACCESSIONED HAIDA. 1962 M. BARBEAU KWAKIUTL. 1962 W. HOLM BELLA BELLA OR TLINGIT." AS OF 1999 THIS POLE IS STORED IN TWO PIECES OR SECTIONS."I believe this item was collected in 1875 from Yalis (Alert Bay) by James Swan. Swan was reported to have collected 3 poles for the 1876 Worlds Fair in Philadelphia. One was from Alaska, one was from Port Simpson and one was from Alert Bay." -- Ken Lund (via Reciprocal Research Network)

Item History

Made
Collected by James G. Swan between 1875 and 1876
Received from Accession Number Unknown

What

Name: Totem-Post, Wood Carving
Identification Number: E54295-0
Type of Item: crest column

Where

Holding Institution: National Museum of Natural History
Made in: “Canada: British Columbia: Cormorant Island (not certain) / Alert Bay (not certain)” ?
Collected in: “Canada: British Columbia: Cormorant Island (not certain) / Alert Bay (not certain)” ?