Sitka Alaska Totem

Colour slides collected and donated by Adelaide de Menil. Slide jacket's contain numbers and some descriptions, which have been copied to the titles. all slides read: Schallerer's Photo Shop, 212 Front Street, Ketchikan, Alaska. Trader Legend Pole This is an example of a ridicule pole, a type of legend pole erected to notify everyone of an unpaid debt. The top figure is a white man, indicated by the use of curly hair and a beard. This likely represents a trader who cheated the Haida, possibly by stealing beaver pelts. The next figure is holding a shrimp in its mouth, a symbol said to represent a thief. The next figure is a crab, also a symbol of thievery. At the base of the pole is a beaver recognized by the large teeth adn cross-hatched tail. The original pole stood in the village of Sukkwan. Douglas Sukqua donated the pole to John Brady for the people of Alaska in 1903. This replica of the orignal was carved by the CCC carvers in 1941-1942.