Raven-Shark Pole

Close up of the Shark on the Raven- Shark Pole

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

1 listed

Wheelchair Accessible

Chief Tom Teh-Gat of the Tlingit village of Klawock on Prince of Wales Island was the owner of the original Raven/Shark Pole. It is believed it was initially carved for his wife from the Kaagwaantaan clan. The shark was once associated as a clan emblem for the Kaagwaantaan, today it is used by the Wooshketaan clan. It is unclear whether this pole was a family crest pole, or a legend pole.  This pole is 29 feet tall. The base of the pole is the figure of a bear. The inside of its ears, the area around its eyes is blue green, its lips are red. Above that is a downward facing wolf, with red nostrils and blue green around the eyes and in the ears. Above the wolf’s tail is a fish with small red round nostrils. The fish has a blue green ring around its ovoid eyes, gills and on the tail fin. The fish is long and black and has two dorsal fins and a tail fin. On top is a raven, which is black with red lips on its beak, and blue green around the eyes and around the ovoid shapes on the wings.When John Brady obtained this pole from Chief Tom Teh-Gat in 1903, he noted that “Chief Tom (Teh-gat) a leader of people at Klawock, He gave a totem pole Eagle at the top-dog fish-wolf-brown bear.” Brady brought the pole to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. This pole was also part of the New York World’s Fair in 1964. By 1978 the pole had seriously decayed, and a re-carving was crafted by Tommie Jimmie, Sr. (Náakil.aan, Lingít Aaní Kinaa, K’eixix) to stand in its place on Totem Trail. The original was exhibited at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art for more than thirty years and was returned to Sitka National Historical Park in 2017. The original pole is displayed separately from its original base figure in Totem Hall.