Eagle Above Bear Holding Fish was carved by Cicero August in 1987. Cicero August is a Coast Salish carver living in Duncan and has been carving since 1956. He studied under master carver Simon Charlie for four years and then headed out on his own to develop his own Coast Salish style. His totem Eagle Above Bear Holding Fish is located just south of the Duncan Train Station in a large group of totems by Richard Hunt, Francis Horne, Simon Charlie and others.

Additional photographs of Eagle Above Bear Holding Fish can be

Continue reading Eagle Above Bear Holding Fish – Cicero August 1987

Thunderbird Above Killer Whale was carved by Harold Alfred in 1990. Harold is a Namgis artist from Alert Bay on Vamcouver Island and presently lives in Victoria, British Columbia on the island. Additional information can be found at his web site at www.haroldalfred.com.

This totem stands in Station Street Park at 79 Station Street, Duncan, British Columbia.

Additional photographs of Thunderbird Above Killer Whale can be viewed at the Thunderbird Above Killer Whale gallery.

Thunderbird Above Killer Whale - Carver: Harold Alfred 1990.

Thunderbird Above Killer Whale

Tane Hiira Pou Karanga – Te Awhio Whio – The Welcoming Spirit Of Sound Above Tane Hiira, The King Of The Cedar Forest was carved by Tupari TeWhata (Maori) of Kaikohe, New Zealand in 1986.

Tupari TeWhata is a carver in Kaikohe, New Zealand, a sister city of Duncan. Tupari came over to Duncan in 1986 to carve a Maori pole and headed back to New Zealand with a Northwest Coast pole. This Maori pole is located next to the Nha Trang Maki Sushi Restaurant at 62 Kenneth St., Duncan, British Columbia.

The plaque reads – In

Continue reading The Welcoming Spirit Of Sound Above Tane Hiira, The King Of The Cedar Forest – Tupari TeWhata

Tsonoqua, Mythological Wild Women Of The Woods (Thunderbird Above Tsonoqua)  was carved by Ned Matilpi in 1990.

Ned Matilpi is of the Ma’amtagila band and the Kwakwaka’wakw and Tlingit nations. Ned was born in 1957 in Alert Bay into the Maamtagila band on northern Vancouver Island. He began is art training in Victoria under his father, the late Oscar Matilpi Sr.

Presently Ned Matilpi lives in Alert Bay on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. 

This Totem presently stands in Station Street Park at 79 Station Street, Duncan, British Columbia.

Additional photographs of

Continue reading Tsonoqua, Mythological Wild Women Of The Woods (Thunderbird Above Tsonoqua) – Ned Matilpi 1990

Raven Holding Totem Pole Above Son Of Indian Chief Above Beaver was carved by Douglas Lafortune in 1989. This totem lies directly south of the Duncan Train Station and is one of the most impressive in the city.

Doug LaFortune is one of the best known names in west coast Native art. LaFortune was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1953 and started working as a professional artist in 1973. Douglas Lafortune was taught by the gifted carver Simon Charlie.

Additional photographs of Doug Lafortune’s Raven Holding Totem Pole Above Son

Continue reading Raven Holding Totem Pole Above Son Of Indian Chief Above Beaver – Douglas Lafortune 1989

Richard Hunt’s Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick is the world’s largest totem pole in diameter, measuring 1.8 meters (6′ 7″) across! It is carved in the Kwakwaka’wakw style and represents Cedar Man transforming into his human form. One cannot appreciate how large this is until you stand underneath the impressive totem. The tree from Port Renfrew was estimated at 775 years old when it was cut down and donated to the City of Duncan. Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick is located near the Duncan court house.

Additional photographs of Richard Hunt’s Cedar Man Holding Talking

Continue reading Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick – Richard Hunt 1988

Simon Charlie (Hwunumetse) was born in 1920. He became a master carver of the Cowichan tribe of the Coast Salish First Nation and was awarded the National Centennial Medal (1967), the Order of British Columbia (2001), and the Order of Canada (2003) for his work in preserving and promoting the traditions of his people. From the late 1960s to the time of his death he purportedly carved the equivalent of twenty-two logging truckloads of cedar logs. His totem poles stand in the Royal British Columbian Museum in Victoria and at the Parliament building in Ottawa as

Continue reading Moon with Human Spirit Face above Mountain Goat above Bear Holding Royal Document – Simon Charlie 1957

With more than 80 totems scattered throughout the city, Duncan, British Columbia is deservedly called “The City of Totems”. Between May and September, visitors and locals alike can take the City of Duncan’s free guided walking tour sponsored by the Duncan Business Improvement Area Society. In about an hour, the tour guide gives a brief introduction to First Nations Heritage and some details about the art of carving these magnificent poles. More than three dozen of the totems are featured in the tour, during which visitors will learn the stories behind

Continue reading Duncan Totem Poles

The City of Totems, Duncan in the Cowichan Valley has been purchasing totem poles for approximately 30 years and displaying them throughout the downtown area and the surroundings. Most of the native carvers are western Canadian but others are from Quebec and as far away as New Zealand.

I have been documenting many of these beautiful native carvings for the past few years and finally have put up a comprehensive totem poles gallery. There are approximately 445 photos sorted by the carvers name and date of the totems creation. I’m working

Continue reading Duncan Totem Poles – Vancouver Island