Kadashan Red Snapper Totem (Left)
Edited photo. Original photo courtesy of Linn A. Forrest.
Description
Tlingit craftsmen enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) restored the Kadashan Red Snapper Pole in 1940. The restoration was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service program focused on the restoration of totems and Native cultural assets. Seven of the poles surrounding the Clan House at the Chief Shakes Historic Site are reproductions of older poles, while two are originals. All were carved in 1940 as a Civilian Conservation Corps project.
Part of the photographic material published on this page by the Living New Deal was provided by courtesy of Linn A. Forrest (1905-1986), a practicing architect who photographed the totem poles at the time of their restoration, between 1939 and 1941. Forrest oversaw the joint program of the Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps to recruit Alaska native carvers in the restoration and recarving of totem poles throughout Southeast Alaska. Employed by the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon, Forrest transferred to Juneau, Alaska in 1937, where he undertook the totem restoration as one of his first projects. Under his supervision, indigenous carvers preserved and restored 103 totem poles and three Tlingit and Haida community houses. Forrest documented the restoration process and maintained notes and a photo record of a significant portion of the work. He used a Leica camera designed for the then new Kodachrome 35mm color slide format.
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Chief Kadashan’s totem at Wrangell, prior to relocation to Chief Shakes Historic Site. Source: Alaska State Library – Historical Collections; Name Wrangell Historical Society and Museum Photograph Collection, ca. 1890s-1970s. ASL-PCA-217.
Red Snapper Totem
Chief Kadashan's totem at Wrangell, prior to relocation to Chief Shakes Historic Site. Source: Alaska State Library - Historical Collections; Name Wrangell Historical Society and Museum Photograph Collection, ca. 1890s-1970s. ASL-PCA-217.
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Prior to relocation to Chief Shakes Historic Site. Source: Alaska State Library – Historical Collections; Name George Family Collection, ca. 1890s-1960s. ASL-PCA-344.
Chief Kadashan's Red Snapper Totem
Prior to relocation to Chief Shakes Historic Site. Source: Alaska State Library - Historical Collections; Name George Family Collection, ca. 1890s-1960s. ASL-PCA-344.
Project Details
| Federal Cost | Local Cost | Total Cost | Project #'s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Shakes Historic Site |
Source notes
Chief Shakes Historic Site, Shakes Island, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1970, accessed July 27, 2017.
Project originally submitted by Brent McKee; Steve Forrest (with documentation courtesy of Linn Forrest) on July 31, 2017.
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