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Day 181, Totem Bight, Part 3

Back to the Totem Poles!  Note the brown, bear resistant garbage can to the left of the walkway.  Like childproof medicine bottles, if helps to be a child, or bear, to get into them!

More about the symbols and society.

Wallpaper!

(1/6400, f4, 40mm, ISO 400)

More Wallpaper!

(!/1250, f8, 35mm, ISO 400)

The Totem Pole on the left I never did hear what it was about, but the one on the right is about two young boys that went to sea and only one returned.

***

More about living with the sea.

Decoding Totem Poles…

The one of the left is an Eagle soaring in the sky.  Remember it.  The top of the one on the right looks suspiciously like Abraham Lincoln…because it is!

The one on the left is for a clan chief; on the right is a bear love story.  The Chief was noted for his Potlatches.  A Potlach is a grand party where the party-giver gives away most of what he has to others, families, friends and guests.  They can take years to prepare for: the more and better gifts you give, the more status you earn.  The hat on the chief has two rings, so he gave two Potlatches.

My wife and I must have gotten some funny looks…in the middle of places like this, we were taking photos of flowers…

This is by a current carver.  It is designed to be placed on a pole, this side down, like the Eagle in the photo on the right.  I told you to remember him.  This Cod (Haddock?) would then be “swimming” in the clear blue sky, just like in the sea!  Pretty doggone neat idea.

Then it is back down the trail, with stops for a couple more flowers.

Wallpaper!

(!/1250, f8, 40mm, ISO 400)

Wallpaper!

(1/1250, f8, 40mm, ISO 400)

And now it almost time to leave Ketchikan.  It is a fascinating place, and we want to return to spend more time (and money…it is Ala$ka, after all!).

~Curtis in /\/\onTana! {!-{>

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