Lot 167
Native American, North America, Northwest Coast, Tlingit, ca. 1930s to 1940s CE. A delightful wood totem meticulously carved with the openwork design of a bird seated atop a beaver. The beaver holds a zoomorphic head in his paws while displaying long, buckteeth and a lattice motif tail. The pattern of the tail is mimicked in a stripe on the head of the bird, who sits with wings tucked and beak facing downward. Size: 2.6" W x 13" H (6.6 cm x 33 cm)
Indigenous people from coastal northwest America to Canada created zoomorphic and anamorphic carvings, totem poles, as standalone columns, or to support larger architectural structures. Totem poles are used to welcome visitors, commemorate the dead or important events, and to even shame people that have offended the tribe. Originally only elite members commissioned totem poles, as these massive pieces were quite an undertaking to carve, and sometimes took between six months to a year to complete! The exact narrative or symbolic meaning the totems conveyed was often known exclusively to the tribe to which it belonged through oral tradition. The animals depicted were often easily identified across tribes, and therefore information could be gathered, even if the person was unable to interpret the full meaning of the totem. The creation of totem poles became highly popularized and more accessible in the early to mid-19th century when the native cultures gained new metal tools and wealth from the fur trade with the European settlers. Most wood totems do not last more than a hundred years in the moist northwest coastal climate, but this totem has impressively retained its striking features.
Provenance: private Alamo, California, USA collection, before 2000; ex-Leon Lafortune collection, British Columbia, Canada
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#180180
- Condition: Nicks and abrasions with some minor chipping as shown. Small areas of old, inactive insect damage. Otherwise, intact with nice remaining detail and light patina.
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