The Totem Heritage Center is a historical and cultural
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
founded in 1976 and located in
Ketchikan
Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District.
With a population at the 20 ...
,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. The center is operated by the city of Ketchikan.
The location of the Totem Heritage Center was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
as Alaska Totems on June 21, 1971.
History
The center was founded in 1976 to preserve these totems and act as a cultural center. Sixteen of the museum's thirty-three totem poles are on permanent display, although the rest of the collection is available for research purposes. The center also exhibits other Tlingit, Haida, and
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian (; tsi, Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terr ...
artifacts and art pieces, including work by world-famous Tlingit carver
Nathan Jackson, and renowned Haida weaver
Delores Churchill
Delores E. Churchill ( hai, Ilskyaalas) is a Native American artist of Haida descent. She is a weaver of baskets, hats, robes, and other regalia, as well as leading revitalization efforts for Haida, her native language.
Background
Churchil ...
.
In November 1990, a Ravenstail Weaver's Guild was formed in Ketchikan through the Totem Heritage Center.
The guild served to strengthen the almost extinct craft of
Ravenstail weaving and the community of makers of both Native and non-Natives in the United States and Canada.
About
The Heritage Center houses one of the world's largest collections of unrestored 19th century
totem pole
Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually m ...
s. The poles were recovered from uninhabited
Tlingit
The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ), settlements on Village Island and
Tongass Island
Tongass Island, historically also spelled Tongas Island, is an island in the southern Alaska Panhandle, near the marine boundary with Canada at 54–40 N. It was the site of Fort Tongass, which was established shortly after the Alaska Purchase as a ...
, south of Ketchikan, as well as from the
Haida
Haida may refer to:
Places
* Haida, an old name for Nový Bor
* Haida Gwaii, meaning "Islands of the People", formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands
* Haida Islands, a different archipelago near Bella Bella, British Columbia
Ships
* , a 1 ...
village of Old Kasaan.
In addition to functioning as a museum, the Totem Heritage Center preserves and promotes the traditional arts and crafts of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples through a nationally recognized program of art classes and other activities. Classes are held throughout the year, and the museum is open to visitors year-round, with extended hours during the summer.
See also
*
References
External links
*
1976 establishments in Alaska
Art museums and galleries in Alaska
Buildings and structures in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska
Ketchikan, Alaska
Museums established in 1976
Native American museums in Alaska
Tourist attractions in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska
Totem poles
National Register of Historic Places in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska
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