Fur Trader Legend
This is an example of a ridicule pole, a type of legend pole erected to notify everyone of an unpaid debt. The top figure is a white man, indicated by the use of curly hair and a beard. This likely represents a trader who cheated the Haida, possibly by stealing beaver pelts. The next figure is holdi...
| Other Authors: | |
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| Format: | Still Image |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
1966
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| Subjects: |
Haida
> Kaigani
> SNHP
> Pole
> Alaska
> Monument
> Northwest Coast
> Native
> First Nation
> Art
> Alaska
>
|
| Online Access: | https://digital.lib.sfu.ca/billreid-3642/fur-trader-legend |
| Summary: | This is an example of a ridicule pole, a type of legend pole erected to notify everyone of an unpaid debt. The top figure is a white man, indicated by the use of curly hair and a beard. This likely represents a trader who cheated the Haida, possibly by stealing beaver pelts. The next figure is holding a shrimp in its mouth, a symbol said to represent a thief. The next figure is a crab, also a symbol of thievery. At the base of the pole is a beaver recognized by the large teeth and cross-hatched tail. The original pole stood in the village of Sukkwan on Prince of Wales Island. Douglas Sukqua donated the pole to John Brady for the people of Alaska in 1903. This replica of the orignal was carved by the CCC carvers in 1941-1942. |
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