4-Story Totem

4-Story Totem. John Wallace, 1940. Natives of Southeast Alaska have made totem poles such as this one for thousands of years., This pole depicts four Haida clan stories. It was carved in 1940 by master carver John Wallace of Hydaburg. Described as "the last of the professional Haida totem- carvers," Mr. Wallace demonstrated his art before thousands at the World's Fair in 1939. His father was also a carver and as a boy, in the 1880's, John helped him carve the totem pole which is now in the lobby of the State Office Building., In 1963, the Rotary Club presented the Four Story Totem to the City of Juneau. It is 35 feet tall and carved of red cedar, which is commonly used for carving totems. Western red cedar is native to the southern part of Alaska's panhandle and grows 70-130 feet tall with a diameter of up to six feet., Traditionally, totem poles have been carved for different reasons: to show family lineage; to illustrate experiences or teach history; to honor the dead; to proclaim contracts; to publicly ridicule someone into paying a debt., Until the 1930s little was done to preserve totem poles in Alaska. In 1937 the U.S. Forest Service began to collect data on the location and condition of existing poles. In 1938 the restoration of Alaska's totems became a Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) project. Many old poles seen throughout Alaska, were saved as a result of this program., http://www.juneau.org/parkrec/museum. , Totem Figures , 1. The Monster Frog , Frog . Man . Raven, 2. The Man with the Fish Trap , Bear . Chief . V-Shaped Fish Trap . Black Bear, 3. Chaa 'Wank' and the Land Otter Man , Shaman holding a Land Otter, 4. The Shaman at Island Point Town , Black Oystercatcher Rattle . Octopus . Halibut . Halibut-hook baited with supernatural Mouse and its Spirit