Telling a Story
PITTSBURGH — Visitors to Carnegie Museum of Natural History will see a new addition to the entrance of Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life and Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians on the museum's third floor.
Tlingit master carver Tommy Joseph completed a 16-foot totem pole, featuring important symbols of the Tlingit culture, earlier in December.
In addition to the totem pole carving, the gallery will be outfitted as a Northwest Pacific Coast community house and showcase Tlingit artifacts from the museum's collection, and it will include family-friendly activities exploring Tlingit art.
Joseph of the Eagle Clan is a native of the Tlingit people of southeast Alaska, and he currently lives and works in Sitka, Alaska. His artwork includes totems, masks and ceremonial armor and is inspired by Tlingit traditions. Though many of his methods and figures are traditional, his art frequently weaves in contemporary elements.
His work has been exhibited and acquired by institutions throughout the world. Not only an artist, Joseph has a history of demonstrating and teaching woodcarving to others, most notably through the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center.
Totem pole story
The 16-foot totem pole features four figures that are important in Tlingit culture, but also represent characters in a story, “The Hunt,” told to Joseph by an elder.
In the story, two subsistence hunters are out on the ocean, when one, in a small boat, thinks he's successfully killed a seal. While pulling the seal aboard, he realizes that it is not dead and it begins thrashing about.
So as not to lose the seal, the man pulls the tail into his mouth to grip with his teeth, while he tightens his hold on the flippers. The second man, in another boat, sees the struggle, and is able to shoot and kill the seal. With the hunt saved, both men were able to feed their families.
On the bottom of the pole is the Raven, a respected and significant figure in Tlingit legends, myths, and creation stories. The Raven also represents one of two moieties — or descent groups — that make up Tlingit societal organization; in this particular pole, the Raven represents the moiety of the next two figures.
The middle two figures are from the story: two subsistence hunters in a dugout canoe. One of the hunters is holding a spear, while the other is holding a seal in his teeth. Not only do the figures depict the story, they represent determination and respect for the catch. This part of the pole symbolizes Tlingit tradition of living off the land and sea.
The topmost figure is dog-salmon. The salmon completes the circle of life in the totem pole, where seal eats the salmon, and people eat the seal. To finish the circle, the humans respect the fish and other plants and animals in the natural world that provide sustenance.
The museum is open until 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The museum will be closed Wednesday, but it will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
New hours
Beginning Jan. 1, new hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The museum will be closed Tuesdays.
Admission is $17.95 for adults, $14.95 for senior citizens, and $11.95 for children ages 3 to 18. Admission after 4 p.m. Thursdays is discounted.
Call 412-622-3131 or visit carnegiemnh.org.
