Tom Hunt: Totem
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Canada House Gallery 201 Bear Street (PO Box 1570), Banff, Alberta T1L 1B5
Tom Hunt, "Totem," 2019
red cedar, 99" x 28" x 28"
Tom Hunt
Fresh from the Campbell River region of Vancouver Island, here is talented carver Tom Hunt's latest totem. With a rich glossy finish complementing warm red and copper tones this totem is an outstanding example of West Coast aesthetics and Hunt's skill as an expert carver.
From the top to bottom, this totem represents: an eagle with a man's face in its plumage, perched atop a bear with a copper*, embellished with the image of a frog, between its teeth.
*coppers were initially made with metals extracted from the Fraser River, but when trading began with the Europeans they came to be made of copper sheets that would be hammered into this shield-like form. Coppers were a symbol of wealth and would be part of potlatch ceremonies.
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