About

This site is dedicated to the education about monumental human sculptures of Western Washington First Peoples and to counter the misconception that totem poles are Indigenous to the Tacoma-Seattle region.

All images copyright Qwalsius Studios. All rights reserved. 

For decades the symbolizing icon of the Pacific Northwest has long been the totem pole. However, contrary to popular belief that is not so culturally accurate, at least as far as Seattle and Southern British Columbia areas are concerned.

At the time of early contact between the Native peoples of the Northwest Coast and the Euro-American settlers, totem poles heralded from Southeast Alaska and parts of British Columbia. 

In the late 1800's the gold rush had people flocking to Tacoma-Seattle area to 'cash in' and venture north and as a result Seattle used the tribal iconography to boost itself visibly by stealing a totem pole from an Alaskan village. This act set forth an influence that has remained in place to this day with little to counter it's mark of cultural accuracy. 

Native peoples of Western Washington including the Puget Sound Salish and the Makah, Quinault and Quileute peoples were known to carve welcome figures. 

 

spuy'elepebS welcome figure by Qwalsius - Shaun Peterson 2010Western red cedar, aluminum, steel, paint24'h x 6'w x 4'dphoto by Steven Miller 

spuy'elepebS welcome figure

by Qwalsius - Shaun Peterson 2010

Western red cedar, aluminum, steel, paint

24'h x 6'w x 4'd

photo by Steven Miller

 

   It's been over three years now! On the 13th this year which was last Friday the welcome figure in downtown Tacoma was officially standing for three years passing it's day of dedication. A lot has happened since then but I was recently asked to speak at a Rotary meeting downtown where I was able to speak to locals about it's significance. In recent months the Tacoma totem in Fireman's park has had a lot of press and I held my tongue for some time to gain some clarity on what I should say. I posted about that on my personal website and that post can be found here in case you are interested. However, I will say in summary what I shared that day. Tacoma's totem pole was commissioned to one up it's rival but in so doing continued to mislead the public to believe that totems were a long tradition in Washington Native history which was not so. Atop this, the pole has a murky history that has a lot of holes in the story on who carved it, where and what the figures represent. At least in Seattle's Pioneer pole stolen as it may have been it had a legit origin that was clear. What I shared with business people of Tacoma speaking last week is that the welcome figure across from the Tacoma art Museum has a story that is clearly for all to read on Pacific Avenue. It comes from a tradition to welcome people into a territory that dates over 500 years. It is the tallest figure free of exterior supports (24 feet) and the first of it's kind to have an internal steel structure. And what I pride myself in knowing is that it was carved by a Native who descends from the very village from which it stands.