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Our institution is committed to the development of new modes of collaboration, engagement, and partnership with Indigenous peoples for the care and stewardship of past and future heritage collections.

Terms of use
The Bill Reid Centre's digital image archive is the digital version of a research collection first assembled by Dr. George MacDonald and his wife Joanne MacDonald over their long careers in Canadian museology, archaeology, and anthropology. The archive represents the MacDonalds' deep respect for the cultures of the Northwest Coast, their connections to numerous communities along the coast, as well as their relationships with museums, archives, friends and colleagues. These images are made available here for research and educational purposes. Other uses may require permission; users are responsible for contacting copyright holders to obtain such permission.

George and Joanne MacDonald Northwest Coast Image Archive

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: Sketch of Gaum's House and Canyon; A drawing of the Gitladzawk fortress site and village.

: Detail of Chief Gaum's House; Detail of Chief Gaum's house from Horetzky photograph. The exterior All Hat house posts are clearly visable.

: Gaum's House and Poles; Chief Gaum's House.

: Ans’pa yaxw Village; Rare view of the village from Skeena River. Note the density of totem poles in the centre of the village (located on the far right of the photograph).

: Ans’pa yaxw Village; Rare view of the village from Skeena River. Note the density of totem poles in the centre of the village.

: Gitanmaax Poles; Poles from left to right: Pole of Sanaws, Standing-Bear, Place-of-Climbing, and Nose-like-Cohoe.

: Nose-like-Cohoe Pole; Detail of the Corpse-Split-in-Two, Nose-like-Cohoe, the Man-of-the-Wilds or Bush-Man, with a small frog in his hands, and then the Small-Children or Lying-Outwards-in-Water.

: Nose-like-Cohoe Pole; Detail of the Small-Children or Lying-Outwards-in-Water depicted as the three small human figures in a row, and then Half-Way-Out or Man-of-the Wilds.

: Gitanmaax Village; People gathered at the edge of the river waiting for the Inlander, which was a stern wheeler riverboat. In the background, the poles from left to right are: the Pole of Sanaws, Standing-Bear, Place-of-Climbing, and Nose-like-Cohoe.

: Gitanmaax Village; Taken from the hill above the village where the cemetery is located.

: Grizzly-Bear-of-the-Sea Monument; The monument of Chief Kantu shown on a wooden platform. It is sitting in front of the Tsenaanurh pole.

: Totem Poles of Gitanyow; The totem poles of Chief Luuxhon and Chief 'Willitsxw. Note the pole in the centre that is facing the opposite direction.

: Totem Poles of Gitanyow; The poles of Chief Gwaas Hlaam and Chief Gamlakyeltxw.The two poles on the left of the house illustrate the story of the Princess and the grub worm that originated on Kaien Island, where Prince Rupert now Stands. Along with the Hole-in-the-Sky or Hole-in-the-Ice pole, they have become iconic poles of Gitanyow, and have been re-carved and re-erected at the village. Fortunately, the original poles have been preserved.

: Pole of Lutkudzeeus; At the top of the pole is the name Ha’tu with a Woodpecker underneath. Next is a Whole-Person, a Frog-between-Two-Sticks or Flying-Frog. and then the Eagle. At the bottom is a short plain section with an Eagle face at each end. The lower head is upside-down.

: Pole-of-the-Mountain-Lion and the Ensnared-Bear; Two of Chief Arhteeh’s poles.

: The Pole of Sanaws; For about 25 feet from the top of the pole is a plain section, followed by two large Eagles, one above the other at the bottom.

: The Frog-Pole; At the top of the pole sits a Raven, which is followed by about 7 to 8 feet of undecorated pole. Then there is a Person-of-the-Smoke-Hole or Man-Looking-Down-the-Smoke-Hole, followed by a Frog or Tadpole with its head down. Next there is a Woodpecker or Real-Woodpecker, a Man-of-the-Smoke-Hole, and at the base of the pole are the Frogs-Jammed-Up. The first frog is facing down, the second facing to the left side of the pole, and then the bottom frog is facing up.

: Whereon-Climb-Frogs; At the top of the pole is an Eagle, with a frog on its body. Next is a Copper-Smell-Person depicted in the shape of a human who is holding two small animals. Then there is a large Climbing-Frog, a canoe with three figures (Nekt, Kewok, and Lutraisu), another Climbing-Frog and then at the base of the pole is a Half-Bear.

: Detail: Snag-of-the-Sand-Bar pole; Raised by Chief Skogum Laxhe. This details the lower section of the pole. The mask was attached to the pole to honour a deceased Chief. The three figures at the bottom are the Winged-Person, followed by the Moth, and at the very bottom is the monster who lives under the water and causes the Sand-Bar to raise with his back.

: Gitwangak Village; The poles at Gitwangak as they stood on the edge of the riverbank before the flood.

: Whereon-Climb-Frogs; At the top of the pole is an Eagle, with a frog on its body. Next is a Copper-Smell-Person depicted in the shape of a human who is holding two small animals. Then there is a large Climbing-Frog, a canoe with three figures (Nekt, Kewok, and Lutraisu), another Climbing-Frog and then at the base of the pole is a Half-Bear.

: The Bear’s-Den or Bear’s-Den-Person; Standing on the edge of the riverbank in its original position before the flood.

: Gitwangak Village; Gitwangak grave houses and poles at the back of the village.

: Standing-Bear Pole; This pole consists of a head of a Grizzly Bear at the top, with three large complete Grizzly Bears sitting erect along the pole to the bottom. In the background is the Pole of Sanaws.

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George and Joanne MacDonald Northwest Coast Image Archive

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