The most well known type of art made by Alaska Natives is the totem pole. No
Alaska vacation is complete without seeing a few.
Carver Nathan Jackson (the most famous carver in
the world) works at the Saxman Carving Shed in
Saxman, two miles south of Ketchikan. You can see
him work there most days during the summer.
Usually Misunderstood:
Since they were first noticed by European
explorers in the 1700s, totem poles may have been
misunderstood. Britain's Captain James Cook, who
encountered totem poles off the coast of British
Columbia, called them "truly monstrous
figures."
Early missionaries thought the poles were
worshipped as gods and encouraged them to be
burned. And even today, when someone refers to
the "low man on the totem pole," they may not
realize that the bottom figure was often the most
important one -- and usually, it wasn't a
man.
Billboards?:
Early totem poles were like billboards for rich
and powerful native families, telling stories
about the family and the rights and privileges it
enjoyed. With early traders came more wealth, and
more poles, some accounts talk about 19th-century
native villages with hundreds of totem poles,
each one shouting out the power and wealth of the
family behind it.
Saxman:
Two miles south from Ketchikan, is Saxman Village
and the largest collection of totems poles in the
world. Native art and culture flourishes here due
to the large population of Native Alaskans. The
indigenous Pacific Northwest Indian tribes are
the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. Gaze at the
many massive totem poles, timeless monuments in
cedar from the first Alaskans. Native dance comes
alive with regular performances by skilled groups
at the Saxman Tribal house.
Nathan Jackson:
Among the most famous living Tlingit artists,
Nathan Jackson was honored when the National
Museum of the American Indian opened in
Washington, DC, in September 2004, featuring one
of his totem poles. He began carving nearly 40
years ago, during a serious illness.
"One day I was disk-sanding the bottom of a
fishing boat and some of the jellyfish powder and
copper paint got into my lungs. I started
coughing up blood. I ended up in the hospital for
55 days. While I was there I carved several
miniature totem poles.
"Depending on how well the artist understands the
art, it's okay to experiment. But it's best to
stay within the limits of the art form so that
you're not producing something foreign. The art
relates to peoples' identities. Being Tlingit, I
try not to do something that's Kwakiutl, or
something that's from a different area." Nathan Jackson, Master Carver
and a Chilkoot Tlingit, has been working in
Alaska Native arts since 1959. He attended the
Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, where he specialized in fabric
design, silkscreen, and graphics. Since 1967, he
has been a freelance artist doing traditional
style woodcarving, jewelry, and design. Jackson
has completed numerous totem poles, screens,
panels, and restoration projects. He has
instructed woodcarving and design at several
institutions, including the Alaska State Museum,
Sheldon Jackson College, the Totem Heritage
Center, and the University of Alaska.
Jackson's artwork is on display in every major
museum – as well as many public and private
buildings – in the state of Alaska. His
work can also be found in museums and private
collections throughout North America and in
museums throughout Europe and Japan. Jackson was
heavily involved in the Totem Park and tribal
house in Saxman. (Background information about
Nathan Jackson courtesy the Southeast Alaska
Discovery Center – Ketchikan,
Alaska.)
