Gaze upon this magnificent Totem Sculpture. It stands tall a silent testament to a complex history. This isn’t just any totem pole. It’s a replica. The original a 49-foot-8-inch hemlock giant carved around 1790 in Alaska. It honored a Tlingit woman Chief-of-All-Women. She tragically drowned.
The original totem pole stood proudly in a Tlingit village on Tongass Island. Then in 1899 Seattle businessmen on a Post-Intelligencer expedition stole it. They claimed the village was deserted. They were wrong. The Tlingit were away fishing. The businessmen chopped down the pole. They sawed it in two. They gifted it to Seattle.
The theft sparked outrage. The Tlingit demanded its return. Legal battles ensued. Seattle’s civic leaders defended the acquisition. They argued they saved it from destruction. The Tlingit received a paltry settlement. The pole became a symbol of Seattle’s civic pride. It was even featured on postcards.
The totem pole stood for decades. Sadly in 1938 arson damaged it beyond repair. The City of Seattle commissioned a replica. Tlingit carvers in Saxman Alaska created it from a 70-foot red cedar. The replica stands 50 feet tall. It now stands in Pioneer Square. It continues to fascinate and intrigue.
Notice the carvings. They tell stories. Raven at the top represents the owner’s clan. Below are a woman frog husband and her frog children. Mink Raven and a whale with a seal also appear. These figures represent Tlingit legends. Legends of Raven stealing the sun and moon. Legends of a woman who married a frog. Legends of Raven and Mink inside a whale.
The Pioneer Square Totem Sculpture is more than wood and paint. It’s a story of cultural appropriation. It’s a story of legal battles. It’s a story of civic pride. It’s a story of loss and renewal. And it’s a story that continues to be told to this day. Let its carvings inspire wonder. Let its history inspire reflection. Let it serve as a reminder of the enduring power of storytelling.