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© Adelaide de Menil		Object name     Photograph Culture of Origin     Tlingit Subject     Saxman, Ketchikan, Alaska, Totem Pole Photographer     Adelaide de Menil Exhibit Label     The U.S. Forest Service started the totem pole restoration program in 1938. One of their projects was to create the Saxman Totem Park. Saxman is located three miles south of Ketchikan, on the Tongass Narrows. The park was intended to showcase Tlingit carvings, originals and replicas, from Tongass, Cat, Village, and Pennock Islands, as well as Cape Fox Village. Today, Saxman has 34 totem poles, a large clan house and several carving centers. The park features a scenic driveway bordered with poles and a grassy square. Two sets of stairs allow access to the square. One stairway is flanked by Raven house posts, while the other is flanked by Bear house posts. This photo depicts the Owl Memorial Pole (Tlingit). The owl at the top of the pole was the main crest of the medicine man, or shaman, in whose memory the carving was dedicated. The owl crest is explained by the legend of a woman who disappeared from the village after an altercation with her mother-in-law. She turned into an owl, and her relatives took it as their crest or emblem. Original Photo Source ID     de Menil 66-8-39C/4 Source     Ms. Adelaide De Menil Credit     Gift of Adelaide de Menil

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