Bob, Dian and John at the Tribal House (aka Beaver Clan House), Saxman Totem Park,
Saxman Native village (3 miles south of Ketchikan). The painted figure on the front
depicts a Beaver. (In Northwest Coast art styles, full-face two-dimensional figures
are conventionally rendered as profiles in mirror-image, joined at the center.) Flanking
the steps behind Bob and Dian are memorial poles carved in the manner of house posts,
one raised in honor of the last chief of Saxman Village and the other in honor of a
woman who was an outstanding village elder. (Duality and symmetry are evident in much
of Northwest Coast culture and art.)

  
One of a pair of Ravens guarding one Park entrance, and one of a pair of Bears guarding
the other. Frog heads mark the border between the entrances (representing spirit frogs
in a Tlingit legend). Whether or not it matters to the Tlingit, I notice that spirit beings
of sky, earth, and water -- the main spirit domains -- are all present in symbolic places
to set this symbolic precinct apart from the rest of the area. My hunch is (a) it's not
accidental, and (b) relative compass positions probably signify something about their
respective roles in the supernatural and human realms. (Spirit beings often take on
human form and vice versa, and it's common in art to catch them in transition.)

 
Rock Oysterman Pole is a memorial pole to a young man who lost his life fishing for octopus.
The figure at the top is the Eagle and the two lower figures are Beavers; these represent
the man's clans. The bottom figure is the rock oyster. The man drowned when the oyster
closed on his arm and he couldn't get away from the incoming tides. His two-toned face
signifies violent death.

 a. b. c. 
   a. Kats and His Bear Wife. Kats was a man who married a bear, who seemed
human to him. She sits atop the pole; Kats holds their children. This pole was
originally set on the front of a house, framing the doorway.
   b. Kats's Bear wife is commemorated also on this pole at Totem Bight State
Park, north of Ketchikan. (She evidently climbed to get to the top.)
   c. One of four brothers transformed into Thunderers, surmounted by a
Thunderbird. Like the supernatural Thunderbird, Thunderers live in clouds and on
mountain tops and create thunder and lightning. This is also at Totem Bight Park.

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(Click on Eagle)