Photo Gallery

Tlingit warriors were reputed to be fearless in close fighting. This bone dagger with a raven head may be 200 years old. (38 cm; SNHP)
SNHP = Sitka National Historical Park, Sitka

Replica of the Yaadaas totem pole, the original of which stood in the Haida village of Old Kasaan. This copy was carved in 1978 by the Tlingit artist Tommy Jimmie. At the top is the village watchman, followed by Raven Yel in both his human and animal forms. At the bottom is a crouching bear eating an unidentified animal. (SNHP)

In 1976, on the occasion of the Bicentennial celebration in the United States, the artist Duane Pasco of Seattle won a competition in Sitka that resulted in a commission to create a "Bicentennial totem pole." This totem pole now stands in front of the Visitors' Center in Sitka National Historical Park. The base figure holding the halibut hook and the rattle represents the Northwest Coast Indian, who had a rich material culture and a magnificent ceremonial life before the arrival of white men.