Rare Birds

My recent trip to British Columbia was my fifth. That's more trips to such a beautiful place than most people get in a lifetime, and so it strikes me as more than a little odd that this was the first time I got a good look at some totem poles: the giant markers carved from cedar or redwood by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

Stanley Park in Vancouver hads a collection of 20 or so replicas of historic totems, some of them carved by the descendants of the original artists.

Most people associate totems with the Haida nation. Only one of these totems, the one of the far right, is actually Haida. It is the burial pole for Raven Chief of Skedans on Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands). The original was carved in 1870 and has long gone to dust. This one was carved in 1964 by reknowned Haida artist Bill Reid, and it still stands, although the moon face was re-carved in the 1980s.

The chief's remains, incidentally, would have been placed in the rectangular box behind the moon face. The other symbols, from the top down, are mountain goat, grizzly bear (the two little figures in the bear's ears are the chief's daughter and son-in-law, who erected the original pole), and whale. Hmmm ... no birds.

Not to worry. The Ga'akstalas Totem from the Kwakwaka'wakw nation features Quolus, a mythical bird who offered protection. It is perched on top of Red Cedar Man, who gave the Kwakwaka'wakw their first canoe.


This totem, also Kwakwaka'wakw, is actually a housepost. It features Thunderbird, the servant of the Creator, and a very powerful creature. I look at its beak and wonder if it is connected to the bald eagle. Its beating wings created wind, and its flashing eyes lightning. You get some idea of Thunderbird's (and human's!) place in the natural order when you look at this totem: Thunderbird is gripping a grizzly bear, who's gripping a man.


The totem behind the housepost is Chief Waka's pole; the original was erected in Alert Bay in the 1890s and formed the entrance to the Chief's house. You actually entered through the mouth of Raven, the figure at the very bottom of the pole. In the original, the top part of the beak was an overturned canoe. It is huge. But my favourite element of all the totems I saw was on the top of Chief Waka's pole: Thunderbird carrying away its orca prey.


Kakaso'las, meaning "people come from far away to seek her advice," was carved by Ellen Neel, the first female carver of Northwest totems, and also features Thunderbird.


I like this perspective on the two Thunderbirds, Kakaso'las and Chief Waka's.


I could not bring a totem home but I did bring home my own rare bird, a hummingbird carved by David Robertson of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation.


Hummingbird represents friendship and playfulness, and is a messenger of joy. She certainly is not feared as Thunderbird is, but she is very good company.