| Near the Sunken Garden was a Tsimshian First Nations carving shed, where I found an example of the regional style in pole carving. There is more to be said about "totem poles" -- even out of my vast ignorance -- than I can possibly include here, so I'll just mention that every pole carved with traditional figures (like this one) not only represents a family or clan, and/or commemorates an event, but alludes as well to the principal actors in a story, song, legend, or joke. If I knew Tsimshian traditions in depth this pole would tell me a story, aside from the surface tale it tells of art, skill, patience, and resistance to colonisation and assimilation. |
