- City:
- Klawock, AK
- Site Type:
- Archaeology and History, Art Works, Sculptures, Historical Restoration
- New Deal Agencies:
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Work Relief Programs
- Started:
- 1938
- Completed:
- 1940
- Artists:
- Haida craftsmen, Tlingit craftsmen
- Designer:
- Architect Linn A. Forrest (restoration)
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) restored/recarved the The Raven-Finned Blackfish Pole between 1938 and 1940. The restoration was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service program focused on the conservation of totems and Native cultural assets. The pole was originally found in the abandoned village of Tuxekan. With the accord of the former residents, the CCC and the U.S. Forrest Service relocated the pole to the Klawock Totem Park on the Prince of Wales Island.
This pole belongs to the Wolf clan at Klawock. A niche at the back of the pole contains the ashes of a member of the clan. The pole illustrates the story of the Raven-Finned Blackfish, which legend says was first seen by a hunter. According to Viola Garfield and Linn Forrest (1961), the mythical crest animal represented by the pole is common in Haida culture, in particular Haida clans of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Intermarriage has brought the adoption of this legend by the Tlingit. The blackfish spans the entire length of the pole, and is topped by the Raven figure.
Source notes
Garfield, Viola and Linn Forrest, 1961, The Wolf and the Raven, Seattle: University of Washington Press, p. 126-127.Site originally submitted by Steve Forrest (with documentation courtesy of Linn Forrest); Brent McKee on August 15, 2017.
At this Location:
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- Klawock Totem Park - Klawock AK
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- Klawock Totem Park, Mythical Raven Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Mortuary Column - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Raven and the Whale Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Woodworm Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Bullhead and the Fight with the Land Otters Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Raven and Giant Clam Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Gonaqadate Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, The Giant Clam Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Blackfish and Brown Bear Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, The First Blackfish Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, The Long-Eared Monster Pole - Klawock AK
- Klawock Totem Park, Eagle and Wolf Pole - Klawock AK
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