Totem Pole
Artist: Charles Heit (North American Indian, Gitskan, 1957 - 2023)
Artist: Kenny Mowatt (North American Indian, Gitxsan, British Columbia, Canada, born 1944)
Culture: Gitxsan, British Columbia, Canada
Date: 1977
Medium: Wood (cedar) and pigment
Dimensions:
Overall: 208 × 32 × 24 inches (528.32 × 81.28 × 60.96 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Estelle and Morton Sosland
Object number: F77-22
Copyright: © Estate of Charles Heit (Ya'Ya)
© Kenny Mowatt
Not on view
In Collection(s)
Gallery Label
This totem commemorates the Nelson-Atkins exhibition Sacred Circles: Two Thousand Years of North American Indian Art (1977). It honors all North American Native peoples and their artistic achievements.
Created by Kenny Mowatt and Charles Heit, this pole is understood in four sections. On top, a raven clutches two interlocking ovals: the symbol of Kansas City. Below, three figures side by side represent the patron, the mayor of the city, and the director of the museum. It is anchored by a frog, referencing artist Mowatt's clan. Both artists are from specific clans in the Gitskan tribe. Traditionally, Norhtwest coast indigenous tribes, such as the Gitskan tribe, raise totem poles as reminders of their rights and accomplishments.
Published ReferencesTorrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.