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Staff Picks - Part 3: Salford Totem Pole Complete
by Brian Everall
Continuing our review of the best features on SalfordOnline we see the fascinating story of the Salford Totem Pole. The totem pole story is a particular favourite of mine, and this video shows the incredible 32ft cedar artwork restored to prime condition. Here we see the final stages of the restoration process. You can view the rest of the series in our dedicated Salford Totem Pole section. The epic saga of the Salford Totem Pole began in a shadowy lock up in Broughton in October 2009. The massive restoration project, featuring three generations of family members of the man who carved the pole, was finally completed in March 2010. Fully painted in the traditional Kwakwaka'wakw colours of black, red and green, the pole features the most important symbols of the Canadian Indian tribe, the whale, the raven and the thunderbird. Through the course of the journey the totem pole was re-found, hoisted into the Lowry Outlet Mall, cleaned, patched with wood brought over from Canada, shaved, airbrushed and more. A permanent home has yet to be found for this artwork, which originally came to Salford in the 1960s as a symbol of the Salford Docks' trading links with Canada. However, Manchester Museum are interested in hosting the pole and producing a full range of education materials around it. The saga continues... Thanks again to Pete Martin both for writing, and for the use of the Salford Totem Pole song. Watch here - a documentary about the Potlach (native Canadian indian celebration) from August 2011 in Germany. Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
