November 14, 2002
1912 pole features fearsome cannibal woman
The Burke Museum raised two totem poles this week in conjunction with the current exhibition, Out of the Silence: The Enduring Power of Totem Poles. The poles were created in 1970 and 1971 by Bill Holm, Burke curator emeritus of Northwest Coast art. Both are replicas of poles that stood on the Northwest Coast in the early part of the 20th century.
One, called Kwakwaka’wakw Dzunuk’wa, replicates a ridicule pole that was erected in 1912 in the village of Gwa’yasdam’s, Gilford Island, British Columbia. It represents Dzunuk’wa, the mythical giantess that some believe to be the equivalent of the more widely-known Sasquatch.
Dzunuk’wa was a fearsome cannibal woman who was used to intimidate children that misbehaved. Thought to be part grizzly bear, she would snatch youngsters from their villages, put pitch on their eyelids to blind them and store them in a basket on her back until she was ready to eat them.
Ridicule figures were meant to shame people into fulfilling their social obligations. When the original of this Dzunuk’wa pole was raised, it faced down the beach towards the in-laws of the owner as a reminder of an unpaid marriage debt. After the debt was paid, the pole was turned to face out toward the water, and shield-shaped “coppers” were placed in the hands and on the head to signify that the debt had been reconciled.
The other pole is a Tlingit Mortuary Pole. It is a replica of a pole that stood in the village of Old Wrangell, about 20 miles south of present day Wrangell, Alaska. A figure at the top represents a high-ranking man (wearing a ringed basketry hat, a symbol of prestige), sitting on a carved replica of a bentwood chest. The original pole functioned as a chief’s coffin. His cremated remains were placed within the hollow chest on the occasion of a mortuary potlatch.
Both of the newly raised totem poles will be dedicated in a special ceremony as part of this weekend’s Native American Arts Celebration at the Burke. The dedication will include words and blessings by tribal representatives, a dance and drumming performance, and a formal unveiling of the shrouded totem poles. The ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.
The raising of these poles is made possible by the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pancerzewski, who will be guests at Saturday’s dedication ceremony.
