ART OF THE INDIANS

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 25 August 1931, Page 2

ART OF THE INDIANS

PRESERVING TOTEM POLES

BRITISH COLUMBIA’S POLICY

The Government of British Columbia has decided to prohibit totem poles being sent out of the province, in order to conserve Indian arc that is no longer being produced in that part of Canada. . These skjilf.ul.ly carved, weird and wonderful products of the Indians pre-Christian era are now: becoming scarce. In a lit of religious fervour, twenty years ago, some of the finest examples along the Pacific north-west coast were cut down and burned. Many have gone abroad, to mu sennits and private art collections. When their export became commercialised the Government stepped in and halted it. The art of carving totem—pronounced 1 “tottem”—poles is of fairly recent origin, having evolved dui nig the nineteenth century frpm crude drawings, and depended on the white man’s tools —axe, adze and curved knife. It was first introduced m Northern British Columbia, probably on the Naas River, and is possibly a development of the earlier custom of the use of carved house; poles, produced by stone tools, with the beavei tooth for the finer work. These poles decorated the coast Indians’ community homes in much the same fashion as the Maoris constructed and decorated the pa. They are now practioady spring, when the oolackan, or candle fish, entered tlie Naas t orn the sea m -large schools, the Ind-ins were wont to gather upstream to filler a rich harvest, as the fish oilgas hirrhly prized. They came from Alaska, the Skeena and the Queen Chmlotte —from the last-named, the Haidas, sailors, boat-builders, warriors, the fiercest denizens of the North-west. The H aid as traded new canoes ,for the fruits of the barter together with old canoe, to carry them back to thci island home. From this market place sprang the cult of the totem pole gradually extending down the coast, to Washington and Oregon Most of the poles were taken from the tallest cedars at the bead p land Canal, near the Alaska Tan handle. Ft was a long, weary tow , r rhe carver, trained from youth, uas in ported from a different phratry or clan though, as a rule, connected by mnrriacre He was told m detail the history” of the family, of the bravery Sr—--5 SrSf and carried off by some monster of riV StHng Se up the pole wastbe sion for feasting. No member °ft rf tWtotoS IvSe’bSied sum., fnvl Ii other valuable objects. Most nothing; to protect.thorn fec B °A way to sustain, i , BOft giants, roundings, some of the. < _ -- f t j ie which svmbolise a briel pnase history of indigenous peoples of Western Canada.