Frontal Pole
Haida
Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.
Mid 19th century
Cedar wood
Gift of Dr. Frank Buller (1844-1905)
McCord Museum of Canadien History
ACC2971
This frontal pole, or gayang, stood at the entrance to the Drum House in the Haida village of Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. This was a dwelling of the Point Town lineage led by the chief whose Haida name translates as "gambling sticks". When this photograph was taken by Richard Maynard in about 1885, only the massive frame of the large house remained standing. The original house was built of split cedar planks and had a decorative scalloped edging along the gables and corner posts. Although many frontal poles were painted, this one apparently never was.
The figures carved on the pole are crests which served as visuals statements of the house chief's ancestry, rights and privileges. The crests on this frontal pole are (from top to bottom): a bear on potlatch cylinders, a standing grizzly bear with extended tongue, a human figure and an eagle between the bear's legs and arms, a standing grizzly with extended tongue holding a frog, and a raven with a long beak holding a humain figure. As there are many variations on the stories associated with particular crests, we cannot be certain of the original meaning of the pole. Today, poles are once again being carved and raised by the Haida in the village of Masset.
Frontal Pole
Haida
Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.
Mid 19th century
Cedar wood
Gift of Dr. Frank Buller (1844-1905)
McCord Museum of Canadien History
ACC2971
This frontal pole, or gayang, stood at the entrance to the Drum House in the Haida village of Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. This was a dwelling of the Point Town lineage led by the chief whose Haida name translates as "gambling sticks". When this photograph was taken by Richard Maynard in about 1885, only the massive frame of the large house remained standing. The original house was built of split cedar planks and had a decorative scalloped edging along the gables and corner posts. Although many frontal poles were painted, this one apparently never was.
The figures carved on the pole are crests which served as visuals statements of the house chief's ancestry, rights and privileges. The crests on this frontal pole are (from top to bottom): a bear on potlatch cylinders, a standing grizzly bear with extended tongue, a human figure and an eagle between the bear's legs and arms, a standing grizzly with extended tongue holding a frog, and a raven with a long beak holding a humain figure. As there are many variations on the stories associated with particular crests, we cannot be certain of the original meaning of the pole. Today, poles are once again being carved and raised by the Haida in the village of Masset.