Totem Pole by Simon Charlie Ciscos

Simon Charlie “pole of wealth”. Carved in Duncan, BC 1958 for Patrick Pryor who is in the timber business. Compared to the “pole of wealth” in Duncan, BC, you will see Simon’s fingerprints. The adzed marks on the bear are identical to this totem. Also, the happy and sad faces are almost identical including their orientation left and right. This pole was carved by Simon in 1988. He used happy and sad faces in some of his work to notate good times and bad times. 9’2″H x 20″ at base.

Charlie was trained by famous Kwakwaka’wakw totem artist Henry Hunt, at the Provincial Museum of British Columbia, but though as Hunt he carved Totem poles, which was not traditionally used by the Coast Salish people (who usually carved mainly house posts with human figures), Charlie worked in the Salish carving tradition rather than Hunt’s Kwakwaka’wakw tradition. Though he was known for his adherence to the Coast Salish traditional aesthetic, he was also known for his insistence on experimenting with new forms of expression.

Simon was awarded many prizes for his work, including the Canadian Centennial Medal (1967), the Order of British Columbia (2001) and the Order of Canada (2003). Much of his work was totem poles, and they are exhibited in museums such as the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, and in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Several of his totem poles are in the Totem Pole collection of the City of Duncan, including three at the centre court of the Duncan Mall. Many other pieces are found in museums and private collections in the US, Europe and Australia.

PERIOD: Mid 20th Century

ORIGIN: British Columbia, Canada

SIZE: 9’2″H x 20″ at base