gyảaGang (House Frontal Totem Pole)

Frontal pole from the second house, at the southwest end of K'uuna (Skedans) village, Louise Island. The house is said to have rotted away by the 1940's. The pole once stood outside (against the centre of the front wall) of a house called "House Raven Found", owned by the Raven Phratry of the clan of "Those Born at Qagials". The pole was collected during a joint salvage expedition in 1954 by the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Provincial Museum. It was standing when collected but cut into sections for shipment. It was purchased by MOA in 1957. The owner was determined to be George Young, who at that time was the Chief Councilor of the Skidegate Band Council. The following people helped to collect the poles on site: Duff, Wilson; Reid, Bill; Jones, Roy Charles; Jones, James; Jones, Clarence; Wilson, James; Young, Allan. The lower two sections were set up along University Boulevard, UBC in 1958-1959.

status

Figures are from narratives owned by clans of the house owner, who belonged to the clan "Those Born at Qagials" of the Raven Moiety. The most important crest of the house owner was at the base of house frontal pole. All the figures on this pole were also found on other poles in K'uuna. Human limbs shown on a raven or cormorant indicate the ability for it to transform from animal to human. Crest figures from top to bottom: Three watchmen, Eagle or Cormorant, Killer whale, with human figure holding onto its tail, Grizzly bear, with house entrance through body (not completed). The figures on the pole are crests belonging to the lineages of the owner (Raven clan) and his wife (Eagle clan).

Pole carved in shallow and deep relief and crescent shaped in cross section. Beginning at the bottom is a bear with squared ears, protruding tongue and raised forepaws with claws. An incomplete oval hole/door is cut in the stomach. Next is a small inverted human riding the back of a whale. Next is a semi-human with squared erect ears, whose hands clutch and legs flank the tail of a downward facing killer whale with pectoral fins at its sides. Next is a cormorant or raven with a long beak whose tip recurves ending even with the elbows of its human arms which are winged, human legs. Next is an eagle with eyebrows meeting cheeks, short, recurved beak, wings folded in, talons curled into squared, erect ears of bird below. At the top is a small killer whale head below decayed top figures. Bottom killer whale is missing its dorsal fin. (Pole was cut into three sections for transportation in 1954 then mounted back together.)