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BIG BEAVER: THE CELEBRATION OF A CONTEMPORARY TOTEM POLE BY NORMAN TAIT, NISHGA By LIZANNE FISHER B.A., The University of British Columbia, 1978 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS : In THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Department of Anthropology and Sociology We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA October 1985 © Lizanne Fisher, 1985 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of The University of British Columbia 1956 Main Mall Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Y3 DE-6(3/81) ii ABSTRACT In April 1982, Nishga carver Norman Tait hosted the raising of a fifty-five foot totem pole named Big Beaver at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. Over the winter of 1981-82 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tait and five apprentices had carved the pole with images inspired by a story given to Tait by his maternal uncle, Rufus Watts, a man Tait calls grandfather. In the early spring of 1962, Watts had taught dances and songs to Tait, Tait's apprentices and other family members and the dancers created costumes and ceremonial paraphernalia for the pole raising ceremony in Chicago. In Chicago in April, members of the Northwest Coast artistic community and staff and patrons of the Field Museum participated in the contemporary Nishga cultural performance. This thesis is an ethnography of the events leading up to and including the pole raising ceremony. It is a case study of the revival of native Indian traditions, a revival that has been occurring on the Northwest Coast since the 1950's. The work addresses four questions. 1. How are native Indian visual and performance forms created from orally transmitted tradition? It describes how the contemporary native carver and his grandfather brought forward their traditions. It discusses the role iii of museums, anthropology, medio, marketplace and other artists. 2. What is the nature of the communities generated by the artistic activity of a contemporary native carver? Included are descriptions of the Nishga and Northwest Coast artistic communities' participation in an expanded native Indian cultural project. 3. How does a museum contextualize a native Indian cultural performance and what meta-messages are communicated? The Field Museum refers back to the Native American participation in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago to contextualize their events in 1982. Were the messages that were overtly expressed in 1893 covertly communicated in 1982? 4. What changes occur in traditions that are brought forward in a contemporary cultural performance? There is a simplification of the traditional Nishga system of cultural messages and a shift in emphasis. There are also changes in the types of alliances for the production of the contemporary totem pole and an adaption of the traditional ritual system for the modern pole raising. The thesis concludes with some questions and discussion on how to assess contemporary native Indian cultural performance in non-traditional settings. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii List of figures iii Acknowledgements vii I. INTRODUCTION - BRINGING FORTH TRADITION 1 Prefacing the Ethnography 5 Chapter Note 12 II. A MUSEUM COMMISSIONS A LIVING EXHIBIT 13 Native Americans Invited to Chicago in 1893 15 Native Americans Invited to Chicago in 1982 30 Summary Comparison of 1893 and 1982 in Chicago 50 Chapter Notes 57 III. THE CREATION OF A NIGHA CARVER 59 Growing Up in Several Worlds 60 A Man in Search of His Artistic Tradition 71 Development as an Artist on the Northwest Coast 84 Recognition as a Nishga Carver 104 Chapter Notes 111 IV. FROM ORAL TRADITION TO ARTISTIC IMAGE 113 Acquiring a Story 118 Creating Images 129 Chapter Notes 139 V. DRAWING IMAGES OUT OF WOOD 140 The Apprentices 145 V Aquiring a Live Tree 149 Fi gures Emergi ng f rom the Cedar Col umn 154 Sol vi ng Arti sti c Probl ems 164 Dra wi ng out the Fi ne Detai 1 176 Peopl e Drawn Around the Arti sti c Acti vi ty 181 The Carryiny Ceremony 184 Chapter Notes 193 VI. BECOMING NISHGA DANCERS 194 Creating a Dance Troupe 196 Becoming Performers 204 Making Costumes 210 Acqui ri ng Ceremoni al Materi al s 217 Chapter Notes 226 VII. THE POLE RAISING - A CULTURAL PERFORMANCE 227 Events Leading up to the Pole Raising 229 Preparations for the Cultural Performance 235 Back Stage Stress 240 Raising Big Beaver 243 Closing the Project 257 The Field Museum Cultural Performance 261 VIII. CONCLUSIONS 270 Bibliography 279 Appendix I 290 Appendix II 293 vi LIST OF FIGURES: 1. The Big Beaver totem pole at the Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois. May 1982. x 2. Eagle-Halibut totem pole (UBC Museum of Anthropology). 79 3. Sketch of the top third of the Big Beaver totem. 136 4 Sketch of the middle third of the Big Beaver totem pole. 137 5. Sketch of the bottom third of the Big Beaver totem pole. 138 6. The Wolf blocked out. January, 1982. 159 7. The Wolf carved. February, 1982. 159 8. The beaver helmet on the Chief drawn and roughly carved. December, 1981. 160 9. The finished beaver helmet on Chief. March, 1982. 160 10. The Fifth Brother drawn on pole above the Big Beaver Chief. December, 1981. 161 11. The Fifth Brother carved. February, 1982. 161 12. A Brother/hunter. April, 1982. 162 13. A brother/hunter. April, 1982. 162 14. A beaver with topographical map-like guide lines. December, 1981. 165 15. The Fifth Brother looking through the smoke hole. April, 1982. 165 16. Diamond-patterned beaver tail and head of another Beaver. February, 1982. 166 17. Scallop-patterned tail of the Big Beaver Chief with the heads of the two Nephews. February, 1982. 166 18. The face of the Fifth Brother (lower) roughly carved with guidelines. December, 1981. 167 19. The face of the Fifth Brother (lower) finished. February, 1982. 167 20. Taifs sketch after studying the beaver face on the Oyai Eagle-Halibut pole at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. February, 1982. 170 21. Alver Tait working on the face of the Big Beaver Chief. February. 1982. 172 22. Eagle with wings aligned with the body. February, 1982. 172 23. Large finished face (Chief) in profile. February, 1982. 178 vii 24. Large finished face (Big Beaver Chief) front-view. February, 1982. 178 25. Norman Tait rendering finishing touches on the knuckles of the Big Beaver Chief. February, 1982. 179 26. The beaver on the dance staff of the Chief. February, 1982. 179 27. The Eagle being paraded in Vancouver to announce the moving of the Big Beaver totem pole. 189 28. Rufus Watts in the eagle helmet with Robert and Norman Tait at the pole carrying in Vancouver. March 9,1982. 189 29. Carrying the totem pole in Vancouver. March 9,1982. 190 30. The Nishga dance screen erected at the Field Museum. Apri11982. 218 31. Unlimited print distributed at the pole raising. April 24, 1982. 223 32. Mitchell Morrison attaching the face of the Fifth brother which looks through the smoke hole Chicago. April 24,1982. 241 33. The Big Beaver totem pole lined up for raising. 241 34. The Big Beaver totem pole raised. April 24, 1982. 252 35. The Nishga Dancers dancing at the pole raising. 252 36. Norman Tait with beaver cape and helmet at the totem pole naming Sunday, April 25,1982. 256 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express an appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Marjorie Hal pin, for her continued encouragement, guidance and inspiration through the many phases of my thesis work. For their constructive criticism and insightful comments, I thank my other two committee members: Dr. Marie Francois Guedon and Dr. Michael Ames. I also thank Dr. Carole Farber (University of Western Ontario, London) and Dr. Kenelm Burridge for their helpful perspectives in the early stages of my work. Penny Joy of Mandala Media provided the opportunity to document the totem pole creation and raising in video for which I am appreciative. The project was sponsored by the Special Education Branch of the British Columbia Ministry of Education under its former director, Saul Arbess. I thank the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and visiting curator, Ron Weber, for their cooperation. I am grateful to Carolyn Blackmon, Education Director of the Field Museum, for making possible my trip to Chicago for the pole raising, i thank the UBC Museum of Anthropology for employment opportunities during graduate school. I acknowledge my community of friends and family who stood m behind me during the production of this document offering their skills, material assistance and, above all, moral support. And special thanks to Norman Tait, his family, his apprentices and their families for sharing their lifes. My life has been enriched by this experience. Figure 1. The Big Beover totem pole ot the Field Museum, Chicogo Illinois. Moy 1982 (Field Museum of Natural History). xi It looked so big while we were carving it until the people come around it, and then realized how big the people are ...this pole would be silenced if it were not for people. Norman Tait o 1 I. INTRODUCTION - BRINGING FORTH TRADITION Traditions "are, ordinarily, the things that we take for granted, the unquestioned assumptions and the handed-down ways of our ancestors.

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