Totem-Pole Model
date: label: Accession Date
content: 2 Feb 1885
name: label: Collector
content: James G. Swan
label: Donor Name
content: James G. Swan
notes: label: Notes
content: From Card: "Totem pole. 3 pieces. Collector's comment: '1 large totem pole or heraldic carving made by the Bella Bella Indians, B. C. The combination is a pictograph which illustrates the artist's idea of some mythical legend. As a general thing, these legends are rendered differently by each artist either in delineation or combination and unless the artist himself gives the explanation the story is difficult to be correctly obtained'. -- 1 Dec., 1884 James G. Swan. 9/8/70 - 9/20/70 Loaned to Nat. Gallery of Art."
label: Notes
content: Ian Reid (Heiltsuk) and Evelyn Windsor (Heiltsuk elder) of the delegation from Bella Bella, Bella Coola and Rivers Inlet communities of British Columbia made the following comments during the Recovering Voices Community Research Visit May 20th - 24th, 2013. A chief would have the totem pole model when speaking in large groups and bang it four times to gain the attention of the crowd. The depicted figures are the ancestors from the owner's personal story. He cannot tell his own story because it would be bragging, so another speaker tells it for him. It is very much a sort of 'talking stick'.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 14 Feb 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 3
place: label: Place
content: British Columbia, Canada, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Bella Bella (Heiltsuk, Haíłzaqv)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 015690
label: USNM Number
content: E74743-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Crest Column Model