Haida Argillite Model Totem Pole
British Columbia
1890
Height 16 3/4"
Provenance: Bill Henderson Washington
Totem poles are among the most emblematic artistic traditions of Northwest Coast peoples. Carved from towering cedar trees as monuments to ancestral lineage and clan history, the manufacture of full-sized totem poles is a lengthy process requiring a skilled and large labor force. Following the decimation of the Indigenous population by the smallpox epidemic in the mid-nineteenth century, the number of artists and wealthy patrons significantly declined. Also impacting traditional ways of life was the new ability for Indigenous people to accumulate wealth through non-traditional occupations in commercial fishing and forestry. In the late 19th century, Indigenous artists began creating small scale model totem poles out of wood and argillite, which could easily be marketed to Euro-Canadian clientele.
British Columbia
1890
Height 16 3/4"
Provenance: Bill Henderson Washington
Totem poles are among the most emblematic artistic traditions of Northwest Coast peoples. Carved from towering cedar trees as monuments to ancestral lineage and clan history, the manufacture of full-sized totem poles is a lengthy process requiring a skilled and large labor force. Following the decimation of the Indigenous population by the smallpox epidemic in the mid-nineteenth century, the number of artists and wealthy patrons significantly declined. Also impacting traditional ways of life was the new ability for Indigenous people to accumulate wealth through non-traditional occupations in commercial fishing and forestry. In the late 19th century, Indigenous artists began creating small scale model totem poles out of wood and argillite, which could easily be marketed to Euro-Canadian clientele.
British Columbia
1890
Height 16 3/4"
Provenance: Bill Henderson Washington
Totem poles are among the most emblematic artistic traditions of Northwest Coast peoples. Carved from towering cedar trees as monuments to ancestral lineage and clan history, the manufacture of full-sized totem poles is a lengthy process requiring a skilled and large labor force. Following the decimation of the Indigenous population by the smallpox epidemic in the mid-nineteenth century, the number of artists and wealthy patrons significantly declined. Also impacting traditional ways of life was the new ability for Indigenous people to accumulate wealth through non-traditional occupations in commercial fishing and forestry. In the late 19th century, Indigenous artists began creating small scale model totem poles out of wood and argillite, which could easily be marketed to Euro-Canadian clientele.