Name/Title
Last of the Totems - No.5, Skidegate, Queen Charlotte IslandsEntry/Object ID
2022.06.01Description
Painting
This work depicts a carved monumental pole in front of the remains of a coastal longhouse in the First Nations Haida community of Skidegate in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. First known by the Haida as Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai or “Islands at the Boundary of the World,” these islands are now known as Haida Gwaii, or “Land of the Haida”, and include Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. The southern region of the archipelago was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
This is likely a memorial pole, topped with an eagle or raven. The principal lower pole figure has large, round and deeply carved eyes, typical of Haida work, and the stacked potlatch cylinders above are grooved to represent basketry hat rings, important symbols of the wealth and status of this person. Each cylinder commemorates a potlatch feast the person had given, or the number of times the person had been honoured at other feasts.
This may be the Beaver Memorial pole erected in honor of Jane Shakespeare. "A Beaver is at the base, with a smaller beaver between the ears, in the middle are 10 potlatch cylinders, and an eagle at the top peering down. This pole was erected in 1882 and was the last standing pole in Skidegate Village. It now is now housed in the Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay." (See Web Links below for multiple images - Simon Fraser University Library: George and Joanne MacDonald Northwest Coast Collection)Artwork Details
Medium
Watercolour on paper/boardSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
Skidegate is a First Nations Haida community in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) on Graham Island about 50 km west of mainland B.C. across Hecate Strait. It is home to rich Haida history and culture including many monumental totem poles, both the remains of ancient works and newer installations, as well as the The Haida Gwaii Heritage Museum.
According to tradition, the village was named after an early village chief, Sg̱iida-gidg̱a Iihllngas = "Son of the Chiton”, whose name, late 18th century traders in sea otter pelts, recorded as Skidegate. In the late 1800s into the 19th century the community was a hub for the maritime fur trade, mainly northern sea otter, in the Pacific Northwest Coast. The impacts of the fur trade, whaling revenue and a brief gold rush on the First Nations were many, such as material prosperity and access to technology. The increase in wealth led to an intense period of building and totem pole raising. It also transformed inter-tribal relations, impacted on traditional cultural practices and unfortunately introduced European epidemic disease. By 1883 European-type structures began to replace the traditional Haida houses and the last totem poles had been raised.
_____________________________
The First Nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast built their houses facing the ocean, using cedar wood logs and planks. Each longhouse contained a number of booths along both sides of the central hallway, separated by wooden containers (like modern drawers). Each booth also had its own individual fire, and there was also a large communal area with a fire. There was one doorway, usually facing the shore. The housefronts were often elaborately decorated with murals. The size of a home depended on the wealth of the owner, with the larger houses providing living quarters for up to 100 people.
______________________________
The word 'totem' comes from Ojibwa, an Algonquian language spoken by First Nations around Lake Superior, for the word 'odoodem' or 'ototeman'. Specifically, totem refers to an emblematic depiction of an animal, plant or being that gives a family or clan its name and serves as a reminder of its ancestry.
The original totem poles were created by six First Nations of the Pacific Northwest: the Haida, the Nuxalt, the Kwakwaka'wakw, the Tlingit, the Tsimshian and the Coast Salish. The totem poles of the Pacific Northwest are carved and painted monumental poles (or posts or pillars) that feature different symbols or figures (birds, frogs, bears, people, supernatural beings and sea creatures). There are seven types of poles (memorials, grave markers, house posts, portal house poles, welcoming poles, mortuary poles and ridicule or shame poles). Similar to other forms of heraldry, they may function as crests of families or chiefs, recount stories owned by those families or chiefs, commemorate special occasions and more. The totem pole's main purpose is to tell a story, usually the history and wealth of the family that commissioned it. They are emblems, used for storytelling, not for religious or mystical purposes. The poles are usually made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, and their stories are usually "read" from the bottom of the pole to the top.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Archibald Macdonald Duff Fairbairn (1883-1979)Role
PainterDate made
1945Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in South Africa, Archibald Macdonald Duff Fairbairn was a talented Canadian freelance artist, who painted in watercolour, tempera and oil, as well as drawing in pen and ink, and charcoal. He was a pupil of Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee (1853-1928), an English Victorian painter and illustrator in London. He was educated at the City of London School, in Leipzig, Germany and at the University of Cape of Good Hope. He was admitted to practice as an attorney-at-law in 1910, practicing in Johannesburg, Transvaal. He immigrated to Canada in 1913, later entering the service of the B.C. provincial government and was appointed private secretary to His Honour, the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia in 1936.
Fairbairn was deeply interested in First Nations culture, and took many sketching trips in the 1930s and 1940s, drawing and painting villages and totem poles in Haida Gwaii as well as in the Skeena and Bulkley valleys. He exhibited widely, showing with the Island Arts and Crafts Society (IACS) between 1916 and 1935. He exhibited at the Vancouver Exhibition in 1930, representing the IACS, and also in the 1941 B.C. Artists annual exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He also showed with the American Water Colour Society (AWS) and the New York Water Colour Society. He was appointed a member of the AWS in 1929. Fairbairn appears to have lived first in Cranbrook, then in Victoria and later in Vancouver. He also wrote and published or produced a number of short plays and stories. He died in California.Edition
Edition
Totem studies of SkidegateEdition Size
6Edition Number
5Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, Date, InscriptionLocation
Signed and dated lower left: A FAIRBAIRN '45Transcription
Verso illustration board - title, etc. in pencil:
#5 SKIDIGATE [sic] Q.C.I. [Queen Charlotte Islands] "LAST OF THE TOTEMS"
A. FAIRBAIRN 1945
Also printed stamp - No. 79 HI-ART Illustration board with graphicDimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
38.1 cmWidth
25.4 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
PurchaseDate
Jun 7, 2022Notes
Purchased as part of Lunds Lot #160 (6 watercolours by Fairbairn)Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
See 2020.01.04 The Beginning by Chris PaulCopyright
Notes
Images are provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the copyright holder. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to determine the copyright holder and to obtain permission(s) as needed.
