Nisgaʼa and Haida Crest Poles of the Royal Ontario Museum

Three Persons Along is a memorial pole that was carved by Axts'ip, a member of the Fireweed clan, to commemorate Chief Ksim Xsaan of the Raven Tribe. Although technically an unnamed memorial pole, it is often referred to as Three Persons Along in reference to the vertical position of the three human figures carved on the pole. This pole was raised in 1860 and is carved from cedar. It is originally from the village of Gitlaxt’aamiks, Nass River, British Columbia. It was cut down in 1918 and later sold to the Royal Ontario Museum. The pole is high. == Pole of Sag̱aw̓een (Nisga'a) ==

The Pole of Sag̱aw̓een was carved by Oyee to commemorate Chief Sag̱aw̓een from the Eagle tribe (Gitlaxluuks clan). At tall, this pole is the tallest pole carved on the Nass River. It stood in the village of Gitiks alongside two other Eagle poles: first, the ''Eagle's Nest Pole, and later in 1885, joined by the Halibut Pole of Laay''. The figures on the pole (listed from top to bottom) are: • Eagle (detached carving) • Man Underneath • Shark • Wooden man named Uwait • Dragonfly • Bullhead • Man named Aitl • Man named Gunas • Eagle • Halibut • Uncle of Gunas • Cormorant (detached carving) • Aitl and the Devil Fish == Shaking Pole of Kw’ax̱suu (Nisga'a) ==

The Shaking Pole was fifth in a series of poles that stood on the beach along the Nass river, just past Ank'idaa. The name Shaking Pole originated from the idea that grizzly bears would shake the pole as they climbed it. This pole was created by two carvers: Oyee and Yarogwanows. The height of the pole is and was raised in the 1840s. This memorial pole commemorates the female Chief Kw'axsuu from the clan Gitlaxgwanks. The figures on the pole (listed from top to bottom) are: • Prince of Grizzlies • Bear Mother • Hanging Across • Ensnared Grizzly • Real Kingfisher (also known as Submerged Person) • Running Backwards (later removed) What is unusual about this pole is that it bears the crests of two different tribes: Wolf and Raven. The top four crests (Prince of Grizzlies, Bear Mother, Hanging Across and Running Backwards) are from the Wolf tribe and the bottom two crests (Real Kingfisher and Running Backwards) are from the Raven tribe. The two tribes are represented at the request of the owner, Chief Kw'axsuu, who wanted both her mother's tribe (Wolf) and her father's tribe (Raven) to be included on this memorial pole. == House 16: Strong House Pole (Haida) ==

The Haida crest pole is carved from one piece of cedar that is hollowed out at the back. The completion date of this pole is estimated to be 1910. There are three main figures displayed on the pole: a sitting beaver, a killer whale that is missing a dorsal fin and a sitting bear. The figures on the pole (listed from top to bottom) are: • Horned Owl (detached carving) • Three Watchmen • Eagle • Cormorant • Killer whale • Beaver The original pole had a separate carved horned owl perched at the very top; the pole no longer has the owl on top. This is a memorial pole to "Prince capsized himself" that was raised by his brother, Nespalas, who wanted his brother's position in the clan. This pole was collected by Charles F. Newcombe for the Royal Ontario Museum in 1923. == References ==