KWAKWAKA'WAKW
Alert Bay ('Yalis), British Columbia
Possibly George Hunt (1854–1933) or a member of the Hunt family
Monumental Totem Pole with Eagle, Whale, and Human Face
Probably early 20th century, c. 1900–1930
Carved and polychromed cedar
118 × 94 × 42 in.
This monumental pole depicts a great Eagle or Thunderbird with outstretched wings above a vertically arranged whale and a large human or ancestral face at the base. Separately carved wings and projecting fins extend dramatically beyond the central trunk, reflecting the theatrical character of monumental Kwakwaka'wakw carving.
The composition has close parallels in historic Alert Bay poles in which a great supernatural bird surmounts a vertically descending whale, including the celebrated Kwa̱nu'sila pole formerly standing in the village. The present work, however, is not a direct copy of that pole and omits figures found in the historic Kwa̱nu'sila composition.
Like its companion, the pole has been associated by a knowledgeable specialist with the Hunt family of Alert Bay, possibly George Hunt himself.
