Visual Materials

Kwakiutl totem pole from British Columbia, probably photographed at Alert Bay, Vancouver Island, B. C

Description: The photograph documented the Bighouse Wakas pole of Ḱwamx’udi, Chief Wakius (Charlie James Wakius) (1870-1938) of the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations of 'Yalis (Alert Bay, British Columbia). The Kwakwaka'wakw people carved poles to record their history and culture to preserve their traditions. The photograph shows a full Thunderbird in flight atop the pole with a Killer Whale in its talons; beneath the whale is a wolf with its head facing down; a human that represents the Wakius ancestors stands above a Hokw-Hokw, a bird that can crack a human skull; a Grizzly Bear; and at the bottom is the Raven which was used as an entrance during celebrations, the beak made from a canoe opened. Also shown in the photograph are four men standing to the left of the Waka pole near the regular door used for daily activities. The building front does not have the painted wings of the Raven as shown in various other photographs. Annotation in pencil on verso, "2105 - Bush."
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Production date: approximately 1890-approximately 1914.
Call number: photPF 3860
Provenance: Acquired from various sources.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights: The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
Dimensions: 11 x 17 cm
Find out more: View in the Huntington Digital Library(Opens in new tab); View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

British Columbia Indians; totem poles. (Postcards)

Visual Materials

This collection contains approximately 10,000 photographs, negatives and ephemera created or compiled by Grace Nicholson (1877-1948), a collector and dealer of Native American and Asian arts and crafts in Pasadena, California. The bulk of the collection dates from 1903 to the 1920s and includes photograph albums and individual photographs with views of Native Americans of the Northwest Coast, California, and the Southwest of North America; pictures documenting Nicholson's basket collecting trips primarily between 1902 and 1912; images of Nicholson's stores and residences in Pasadena, including the building of the "Grace Nicholson Treasure House of Oriental Art" in the mid-1920s; and personal photographs of Nicholson, her family, friends, and associates. Nicholson's personal snapshots and photograph albums provide a valuable resource for studying Native American communities, particularly in Northern California, in the early 20th century. Many of the photographs depict daily life and include images of homes, community events, dances and rituals, families and children, and portraits. Most of these photographs were taken by Grace Nicholson or her assistant, Mr. Carroll S. Hartman, and are often accompanied by Nicholson's handwritten identifications.

photCL 56

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Alaska views and Tlingit crest poles

Visual Materials

Contents: Post Office (Sitka, Alaska); Kaasx'agweidi Chief Kadashan (Leader of the Tlingit Raven Clan) home depicting the Kootéeya (totem or crest pole); Tlingit village of Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw Sun House with Kootéeya (totem or crest pole):Sheldon Jackson Museum & Library (wooden building); The SS City of Puebla at dock in Victoria, Canada); "Steamer Queen at Wharf, Juneau, Alaska"; "Log Cabin Presbyterian Church Juneau, Alaska"; "Totem Pole at Honoo Alaska," Tlingit Kootéeya at Xunaa or Hoonah; Steamer Queen in ice Takou Inlet Alaska. The photographs cite "Hardy, 1945" which may refer to the original Grahame Hardy collection acquired in 1945.

photPF 3861-3869

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Indian town, Alert Bay

Visual Materials

The 122 prints depict Alaskan nature scenes, some Native American totems, and a variety of scenic views in the western United States. These photographs were taken circa 1890s. The collection is particularly strong in images of Caucasian tourists; Salt Lake City, Utah; Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Wrangell, Alaska; Sitka, Alaska; Alaskan natives; glaciers; British Columbia health resorts; and Western railway lines. Brigham Young, a leader of the Mormon Church, is listed as a personal name index term because a photograph of his grave is included in this collection.

photCL 214

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Totem poles, Fort Wrangel [Wrangell]

Visual Materials

photCL 214

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Totem poles, Fort Wrangel [Wrangell]

Visual Materials

photCL 214

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Totem poles, Fort Wrangel [Wrangell]

Visual Materials

photCL 214

Kwakiutl totem pole from British Columbia, probably photographed at Alert Bay, Vancouver Island, B. C

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