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Medium Totems

#4 Small Chief Johnson

The Small Chief Johnson pole is 10" high and was Gayle's forth totem to carve. She chose to use only the lower portion of the original pole, because a smaller pole was needed for the business. On the original pole, which stands in Ketchikan, Alaska, there is a vacant section above the twin birds and below Kadjuk that is about half the height of the pole. We chose to eleminate this part of the #4, but it is represented by a smaller section on the #17 Large Chief Johnson pole.


#6 Waasgo

This is a 16.5" miniaturized version of the Waasgo or susan pole which stands at the entrance ot Totem Lane in the Sitka National Monument. The original was carved by the Haidas, and is assumed to be from the village of Sukkuxan on Prince of Wales Island. The original was found beyond repair in 1930, so a copy was made by a Tlinget carver between 1938 and 1941, and appreared in the 1964 World's Fair in New York. This pole depicts the popular tale of a young man's trouble with his mother-in-law. On top of the pole is the mother-in-law dressed as a shaman. Below her is the monster Waasgo, or gunaquadate. Next is an unidentified figure, followed by the son-in-law in human form, then dressed in the monster's skin holding a whale. The dead Waasgo is at the base of the pole. 

This miniaturized replica pole was carved by our son, Mark. He studied sculpting in college, and now sculpts for a holligram co. and does sculpting on his own. Watch for works by Mark DeGraffenried.


#1 Original Thunderbird

This Thunderbird totem was Gayle's first totem to carve. Infact, her first item ever to carve. It is in the process of a facelift, to replace the one topnotch for two hornes and a new base. The Thunderbird Totem Pole is one of the most popular poles to tourists. The figures are Thunderbird perched upon the head of Grizzly Bear, who is holding a slave wearing a chief's copper.


#2 Small Sun and Raven

This is Gayle's second totem to carve. It is a miniaturized likeness of the Sun and Raven Pole carved in 1902 by the Tlingit carver Kahctan, more famously named Nawiski. He created the pole for a woman of the Starfish House of the Raven phratry as a memorial to her two sons. It was Originally set up on Pennock Island and was moved to Saxman Totem Park in 1939, being the first totem there.

At the top of the pole is Raven, with the three children of the Sun decorating his breast. the second story shows the face of Fog Woman, Raven's wife. The third story shows Raven riding the back of Frog after the floods to observe the many strange sights at the bottom of the sea.