Clan House at Totem Bight
It has been a rainy week in Ketchikan as we wait for
packages to arrive from the lower 48.
While waiting we decided to check out the city of Ketchikan’s mass
transit, so we can visit the two different totem parks nearby. One is on an
actual native village site, while the other is a park dedicated to preserving
and commemorating Alaska native culture.
Both totem parks were easy to get to and unique in their own way.
Saxman Totem Park
The first we visited was the Saxman Totem Park. It is located 2.8 miles south of town, on the
South Tongass Highway. Saxman is a
village that was established when the two Tlingit villages of Cape Fox and
Tongass decided to merge into a single community on the edge of Tongass
Narrows. A sawmill was built to supply
lumber to the growing area around Ketchikan.
The lumber and fishing industry of the day allowed the new town to grow
and thrive. By 1900 there were 142
residents in the town of Saxman.
After getting off the bus, we walked up the hill toward the
clan house, on Totem Row. We admired all
the poles that lined the street. In
total there are 29 poles in the park.
All poles are hand carved from cedar trees and replicated the old
designs and techniques of the Tlingit and Haida people. Supposedly this is the most extensive collection
of poles in world.
Totem Row
At the top of the hill was the “Beaver Clan” house, a
replicate of an old Tlinkit house. When we were there, it was only open to
private tour groups. As I approach, I
could hear drums from a presentation going on inside.
“Beaver Clan” house
Next to the clan house was the carving shed. Which also was only open to private tour
groups. Since we were on a self-guided
tour, we were only able to look through the windows to see the current carving project. I have always liked the fragrant of
cedar. I notice it on almost every beach
we explore. But at the carving shed, the
cedar smell was much more noticeable and provided some rich native culture to
go along with the aroma.
Totem Bight State Historic Park
The second park we visited was Totem Bight State Historical
Park. It is about 10 miles north of Ketchikan. In 1938 the U.S. Forest services
realized the old totems in the original vacated village of the native Alaskans
were rotting away. In order to preserve
the heritage and culture of the native Alaskan people the park was established. The park was set up to model a native
village, with poles and a clan house. Today the park contains 14 different
poles and one clan house. Each pole
tells a story.
Some of the poles at Totem Bight
Old fragments of rotten poles from various abandon native
villages were brought to the park. These
original poles were used as templates to commission new poles. By the end of World War II 14 poles had been
replicated and the name of the park was changed from Mud Bight to Totem Bight.
Our bus stopped right at the park. Our stroll through the park started by passing
a couple of mortuary poles. One of them
being a Thunderbird, with a killer whale being clutched in its talons. The original mortuary pole was from the old
native village of Klinkwan, on Prince of Whales Island.
Thunderbird Pole
A gravel path meandered through the lush Tongass rain forest
down to the clan house. The ground and
trees along the trail were covered with brightly colored green moss. You could see evidence of early logging. Some of those old stumps provided nutrients for
the next generation growth.
Old Stump Nursing New Grow
Our trekking to these cultural sites was a great adventure
in itself. We timed it perfectly, “No Rain”.
If you are ever in Ketchikan Alaska and want to see some totems, I’d
recommend visiting Saxman or Totem Bight State Park, or both.
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