Klawock Totem Park – Klawock AK

City:
Klawock, AK

Site Type:
Archaeology and History, Art Works, Parks and Recreation, Sculptures, Historical Restoration

New Deal Agencies:
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Work Relief Programs

Started:
1938

Completed:
1940

Artist:
Tlingit craftsmen

Designer:
Architect Linn A. Forrest (restoration)

Quality of Information:
Very Good

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the Klawock Totem Park on the Prince of Wales Island, between 1938 and 1940. The CCC selected 21 poles out of the approximately 142 Tlingit and Haida totems that were originally located in the village of Tuxekan. With the accord of the former residents of Tuxekan, the CCC moved the totems to the Klawock Totem Park. The carvings found at Tuxekan were commemorative poles. Unlike other old Native villages, Tuxekan did not have any house post carvings. According to Viola Garfield and Linn Forrest (1961), what also distinguished the carvings at Tuxecan was that they deviated from the “true totem poles” typology that depicted stories or historic events. The 21 totem poles at the Klawock Totem Park are originals and replicas. The master carver at Klawock was Johnney Prackovich.

The carvings at Klawock are distinct from the carvings of the Tlingit living in the southern regions. The carvings are less detailed, the figures are simplified, and the totems are smaller overall. Moreover, the undecorated portions of the poles are squared, in contrast to the more common rounded shape. These distinctive characteristics might be explained by the fact that the art of totem carving developed relatively late among the Tlingit living on the northwest side of the Prince of Wales Island. According to Garfield and Linn, no poles dated earlier than 1865 were found in this area. Moreover, the cedar forests of this region provided wood less suitable for pole carving.

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.

Source notes

Garfield, Viola and Linn Forrest, 1961, The Wolf and the Raven, Seattle: University of Washington Press, p. 100-147.

Larry Rakestraw, Totem Pole Restoration, Interview with Linn A. Forrest, August 1, 1971.

Creative Impact Ministries and North of Hope, Klawock Pole Raising Documentary, accessed August 18, 2017.

Capital City Weekly, Three-day Celebration for the Raising of Five Totem Poles in Klawock, accessed August 18, 2017.

Site originally submitted by Brent McKee; Steve Forrest (with documentation courtesy of Linn Forrest) on August 9, 2017.

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3 comments on “Klawock Totem Park – Klawock AK

  1. Tina Mullins

    The totem pole of the killer whale (people call it black fish) is my family’s totem. My family is the founders if Klawock.

  2. Kimberlie Elsenbeck

    Ummm weird in the school report my children did your family was not mentioned…Pratrovitch was said to have founded in 1886 but no Ketah or Mullins was not a name that came up

  3. Lewis Armey

    The totem park’s original creators were the Ketah clan

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Contribute to this Site

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3 comments on “Klawock Totem Park – Klawock AK

  1. Tina Mullins

    The totem pole of the killer whale (people call it black fish) is my family’s totem. My family is the founders if Klawock.

  2. Kimberlie Elsenbeck

    Ummm weird in the school report my children did your family was not mentioned…Pratrovitch was said to have founded in 1886 but no Ketah or Mullins was not a name that came up

  3. Lewis Armey

    The totem park’s original creators were the Ketah clan

Join the Conversation

Please note:

  • We are not involved in the management of New Deal sites and have no information about visits, hours or rentals.
  • This page shows all the information we have for this site; if you have new information or photos to share, click the button above.

Your email address will not be published, shared, or sold.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.