Totem poles, Haida, Totem poles -- British Columbia -- Skedans, Totems, Totemism 

"Although totem poles are the most widely known expressions of the carving skills of the Northwest Coast Indians, surprisingly little has been written about them and many questions remain to be answered about these magnificent monuments of cedar.

In 1965 John Smyly began the task of recreating the Haida village of Skedans (formerly Koona) in the Queen Charlotte Islands for the Provincial Museum in Victoria, British Columbia. Working almost entirely from George Dawson's photographs taken in 1878, Smyly made miniature models of 54 of the 56 poles then standing. Photographs and those of later visitors to Skedans, have been combined with sketches, maps, and plans to provide a completely illustrated survey of Skedans. Each of the massive carvings in turn is pictured and described, and as far as possible the crest and story figures, human and animal, they portray are identified. The result brings the reader as close as we can come today to a leisurely tour of this beautifully situated, richly furnished village as it existed when it was first seen by non-Indian eyes."--Book jacket. 

Notes:
Originally published under title: Those born at Koona.

Bibliography: p. 117.

Includes index.