Marine Highway:
Fish and Festivity
Carving New Life into Klawock's Totem Pole Park
By Theresa Bakker
Totem poles are an evolving work of art. As they age, the sun
transforms the colors of intricate eagles, salmon and bears carved in
the wood. Moss and other plants sprout from decaying sections of the
tree trunks.
Soon the totems take on an entirely new appearance, one not necessarily
intended by the original artist. A whale sprouts a full head of hair, a
frog may flaunt a grass skirt and a clam grows a beard. Their
transformations reflect the slow, steady pace of village life.
The totems tell the stories of the indigenous people of
Southeast Alaska. They are ancient art forms handed down through
thousands of generations. In a culture that relies on oral tradition,
totems are the family trees of Tlingit ancestry. They offer some of the
only concrete historical records of the clans who populated the region.
That's why the community of Klawock launched a project to
carve replacements for 21 poles in their Totem Park. City Administrator
John Morris said Klawock was losing its totem poles to time.
"Over the years these totems have deteriorated," Morris said.
"The carvers didn't have preservatives to protect the poles. We've made
attempts to replace parts and pieces, but they were starting to topple
over on us."
The poles were built in the 1930's by the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC), a national program that provided work for
people who needed jobs during the Depression. The CCC creations were
replicas of original totem poles made by people in the Tlingit fishing
village of Tuxekan.
Jonathon Rowan is the artistic force behind the totem
endeavor. He started carving when he was six years old. Today he leads
a team of young artisans working to restore their heritage. After
raising three poles in 2002, Rowan and his team began preparing this
year's batch.
The carvers used space in the city's clan house to work on the poles.
Windows on one side of the rough cut cedar structure let in natural
light. The comfortable space has a wood stove and plenty of room for
the giant carvings.
In this warm, woody environment the carvers built new poles to tell the
tales of Eagle-Killer Whale, Long-Eared Monster, Eagle-Wolf, Frog,
Killer Whale, Raven and the Giant Clam and Adventures of Raven.
Rowan is helping revitalize the community's culture. The
humble ex-marine teaches traditional arts at Klawock City School, where
he finds the students who become his apprentices. He speaks Tlingit
fluently and leads a traditional dance group that's now 60 or 70
members strong.
The dancers performed in August to welcome visitors to the
community's totem pole raising ceremony. It was a traditional service,
with clan chiefs on hand to represent each new pole raised. Festivities
began the day before with the special delivery of a cedar canoe, a gift
from the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle.
"Normally you would raise one pole at a ceremony," City Administrator
Morris said. "Since we had seven, it was a much bigger event. We fed
over a thousand people. There are about 800 people in Klawock normally,
so it was a big undertaking, but it's the custom to feed your guests."
It took 60 people to carry the first pole uphill from the carving shed.
Then each carved shaft had to be lowered into place, pulled upright and
held steady until they could be bolted into the base. The crew had to
repeat that effort seven times with poles ranging from 24 to 36-feet
long.
"They were all raised traditionally, with ropes, by manpower," Morris
said. "They go up fast, once you get the swing of things and raise the
first one. But then by the time you get to the seventh one, it's like,
ok this is hard work."
The park now features ten totem poles, but it's not time for Rowan to rest. There are still eleven more poles to carve.
"We'll probably be putting two or three poles in every other
year from here," Morris said. "The park is half complete. It's
beautiful, fantastic. People come to Klawock to see it. And for the
native people of the area, this represents who they are."
Theresa Bakker is a researcher for KUAC's new travel show, "Anywhere, Alaska." Send her an e-mail at theresa.bakker@kuac.org.
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