Old and new

[Shortly after completion of the new Kadashan home, the Wolf Grave Totem was moved from its waterfront location and placed to the right of the two Kadashan totem poles. Additionally, supports were added behind the Crane Pole to keep it from falling over. (image credit: Michael & Carolyn Nore Collection)]

[This photograph was reportedly taken in 1886. A new, traditional-style clan house building stands behind the Kadashan poles, and a rectangular rock retaining wall (dry stack ledge) stands in front of the Kadashan poles. (image credit: City of Vancouver Archives)]

Prompted by an image in reference 1, I have been poking around for incongruous images of old and new in Wrangell, and turned up the images above from reference 3.

I think the totem poles have survived from replacing the traditional house with something a bit more up-to-date. Have not yet found out whether this is their original position: in some places at least, in the region, a pole which is moved or stood up again after falling has no value. The whole point is the ritual and potlatching which went with the original erection. Which last was quite tricky using traditional methods and materials. From where I associate to our London Eye, the first ceremonial attempt at raising which having to be abandoned when a cable broke or came adrift.

The new house in the first snap was quite famous in its day; the grandest house in the area.

A coming together of old and new. With the tourism and heritage industries in their infancy.

PS: it seems that our very own Eadweard Muybridge, previously noticed, took some photographs in the same general area  - although not, I think, these ones. But see references 4 and 5.

References

Reference 1: Totem Poles of the Pacific North Coast – Edward Malin – 1986.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangell,_Alaska.

Reference 3: https://www.wrangellhistoryunlocked.com/blog/kadashan-totems.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eadweard_Muybridge.

Reference 5: https://psmv2.blogspot.com/2013/02/falun-gong.html. The closest I can get to our visit to the Muybridge exhibition in Kingston Library.