Willie Seaweed Tsonoqua Pole. Nimpkish cemetery, Alert Bay, B.C.; 1951. Per Door Book/Accession Record: Willie Seaweed and tsonoqua pole at Alert Bay, 1951.
Donor:
William R. Heick
Collection place:
Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Verbatim coll. place:
Nimpkish cemetery, Alert Bay, B.C
Culture or time period:
Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl)
Collector:
William R. Heick
Collection date:
1951
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Black-and-white prints (photographs)
Accession date:
March 22, 2000
Department:
Still and motion photography
Dimensions:
width 27.94 centimeters and length 31.115 centimeters
Comment:
Per labels provided by Ira Jacknis: Memorial pole, Nimpkish cemetery, Alert Bay, B.C.; 1951. One of the most photographed totem poles on the Northwest Coast, this pole was carved by Willie Seaweed in 1931 and is still standing, although it has been repainted several times. The pole represents a thunderbird above the figure of a dzunukwa, a giant female monster who will bring great wealth if tamed.