Duncan

Proudly living up to the name “The City of Totems”, Duncan has over 40 beautifully carved totems scattered all around the City. With rich history behind each totem, it is a “Must See” on your visit to Duncan

The Feast
BALD EAGLE (YUXWULE')
KILLER WHALE
(Q'UL-LHANUMUTSUN)
This pole is based on a local Quw'utsun' legend.
The Quw'utsun' people called upon Tzinquas (Thunderbird) to help them. The Killer Whale was eating all the Salmon in Cowichan Bay and the Salmon were not getting up the river.
Tzinquaw helped them by taking the Killer Whale out of the bay and putting it on top of Mount Tzouhalem, the mountain beside the bay, where Tzinquaw ate him. The Spirit-Helper face in the Killer Whale represents the blowhole of the Whale.
The face in the fluke (tail) of the Whale represents a (second) Spirit Helper. Doug explained the presence of the eagle: The story was the Thunderbird but I made the figure into an Eagle, I wanted to show the power of it, so I did the legs muscular and strong (Doug LaFortune, Interview, Sept 2012).°

Raven's Gift
TOTEM POLE (S-XT'EKW*)
MAN (SWUY'QE')
This one was a story about a young fellow... the Man in the middle with the adze in his hand was a carver. He's holding the adze, he is saying "Here is my gift to you". The Chief commissioned this pole and the Raven brought the carved pole to another village that was near the river... the Beaver helped provide the log: I enjoyed working on the poles and I liked the people in Duncan. I love carving; it's been my life's work. l've been doing it almost forty years. I just love to carve. I strive to get better every time I do something (Doug LaFortune, Interview, Sept 2012).®

Pole of Wealth
SPIRIT (SULI)
KILLER WHALE
Q'UL-LHANUMUTSUN)
BLACK BEAR SPE'UTH).
The top two figures on the pole represent the Quw'utsun' legend of the Thunderbird and Killer Whale. Tzinquaw (Thunderbird) is one of the more rare and powerful beings in our (Quw'utsun") history. A Killer Whale is an extremely important part of our culture and history... The figure of Spe'uth (black bear) adds to the power of the story, as he is like the eldest of a generation; strong and protective (Tim Kuchylski, grandson, Interview, Feb 2013).
The wealth of the pole's owner is indicated by the copper shield that spe'uth (black bear) is holding in his paws.
Simon's work is textured, which was his trademark; some of the animals would look like they had fur, feathers or scales.
Another one of Simon's trademarks was to put faces on the feet of the bear; a sad and a happy face. Simon would say that in life there are sad times and happy times.®

Transformation
BALD EAGLE
NUXWULE)
KILLER WHALE
(Q'UL-LHANUMUTSUN)
MAN (SQUY"QE)
In keeping with Coast Salish protoco, Corky's family told the stories of his poles.
The Eagle was very symbolic for Corky in transformation and in life; as Corky had gone from full-time fishing into carving.
The man represents that human part of the Killer Whale.
Our people believe that there was an undersea world; you put on your Killer Whale and then you went into the ocean.
You lived in the undersea world as part Human but also as the Whale; when you came up you took it off. You can see the Wolf carved on the Whale's fluke. When he would get one of the old ones (trees) like this pole that Corky worked on, he wouldn't paint it, because he could feel the essence of the tree...
He loved the wood of the tree. he wanted to leave it the way it was and let it speak for itself (lane Baines Marston, sister, Interview, Nov 2012) °Leer más